What the Future Holds
by Tavyn
Summary: Nora Allen isn't the only future hero running around Central City. (Written for Captain Canary Week 2018 - Day 6 - Family) #Future Kid Fic #Fix It
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note : **I've had this story idea for almost two years, so I'm glad CC Week 2018 gave me the excuse to finally start it! As usual, this supposed-to-be-a-one-shot got away from me, so I've broken it into parts. I really hope you enjoy this silly future-kid-fic fun as much as I do!

* * *

In a quiet neighborhood in Central City, a quiet party with quite the unexpected guest was about to turn deadly silent.

"I'm your daughter Nora, from the future, and I think I made a big, big mistake."

Deadly silent.

Until a phone buzzed.

The girl, Nora from the future, pulled her phone from her pocket, frowning at whatever she saw on the screen.

"And I need to tell you about that mistake, but there's something else first."

Barry, still smiling vacantly and nodding dumbly, glanced at Iris, then around at the others, as if hoping he'd misheard.

He hadn't.

"Did you know the Legends are in town?" Nora asked, when no one else spoke. She sighed into the silence, glancing again at her phone. "Something's going down at Jitters."

* * *

Something certainly was going down at Jitters.

"Something" had started harmlessly enough, just a few days off from the Waverider, a stop in Central City and then a visit to Star City. "Something" started with a trip to Jitters for a few of the Legends, Mick and Ray complaining to Sara about the menu.

"Why isn't there an A.T.O.M. drink?" Ray was saying. "An _Atomic Mocha_ would be awesome! They could put sprinkles on top of the whipped cream."

"You're not even from Central City," Mick grumbled. "The real shame is that there's no Heatwave drink. Heat and coffee, it markets itself."

Sara sighed. "And what did you two do to deserve drinks named after you in Central City?"

"Well, Sara, for one, I helped the Flash save this city from a terrifying bee meta."

Mick scoffed. "What, a giant bee? That's not scary."

"No! Little bees. Like, thousands of horrible robot bees. That's not the point. The Legends have helped take down aliens!"

"And Nazis," Mick nodded, fairly.

"Right! You'd think those feats would've lasted longer in the public memory."

"There should be drinks in our honor all across the country," Mick agreed. "But boozy drinks, forget the coffee drinks."

"Guys. It's your turn to order."

Unfortunately, they never got to order. Because that was when something, or more accurately, someones, burst into Jitters, blasters blazing and sending the coffee shop into complete pandemonium.

("Doesn't this place get attacked like once a week?" Ray had asked when they'd walked in. "You'd think it wouldn't be so popular."

"It's popular _because_ it gets attacked at least once a week," Mick had grumbled. "People are hoping for the excuse to call out of work.")

Everyone would be calling out of work for this.

And yet, no one seemed to be getting hurt. The blasters, shooting lasers like out of a movie, gunned down espresso machines and bar stools, shattered television screens and countertops, but conveniently missed the patrons.

Except Sara.

She'd lost Mick and Ray almost immediately, dropping and rolling to avoid an early blast. But when she stood, another shot came, and another, and no matter where she pivoted, or crawled, or which overturned tables she used as shields, the shots stayed trained on her, almost like she was the only target.

"Sara!"

A flare of light blurred her vision, a heavy crash knocked her off balance, and that might've been the end for Sara Lance. It almost was. Except that strong hands grabbed her from behind, pulling her into the crowd, down, and pushing her into a corner.

"Would you watch it with that knife?"

The hands belonged to one of the handsomest men she'd ever seen, which was saying something, considering the number of men Sara had met throughout history. He didn't seem concerned about the knife she had angled at his chest, but his features twisted with worry as he looked over his shoulder at the chaos behind him.

"I know you don't know me," he said, turning back to Sara. "But I need you to trust me."

Sara didn't trust anyone easily, let alone a stranger holding her pinned to a corner. But considering he wasn't shooting a blaster at her, he seemed trustworthy enough not to stab immediately.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

"I'm from the future," he said, and his face softened. "Your future."

Suddenly he seemed very young, looking up at her like that, bright blue eyes pleading. She studied his face, taking in his short, dark blonde hair sticking up haphazardly at the ends, and the blonde scruff darkening his jawline. His features were familiar in such an unfamiliar way that a lump rose to her throat, and she couldn't understand why.

"Those men are from your future too," he added, glancing back at the sound of a crash. "They're here to kill you. But I think you already figured that out."

Sara struggled to look around him, realizing as she did that he was using his body as a shield. He was protecting her with his own life.

"Why?"

"Because if they kill you now, I'll never be born."

She froze, eyes widening with sudden urgency. Was he –

A low boom sounded, and the entire building shook as he braced them against the wall.

"I need you to trust me," he repeated, releasing her with one hand to pull a necklace out from under his shirt. "I don't have time to explain." Instead, he held out the chain for her to see.

At the end of the chain was a ring.

Sara knew it immediately. She'd know it anywhere, because the same one was currently tucked in a drawer in her room on the Waverider. She'd been wearing it ever since Mick gave it to her, off and on, until Ava. Then she'd told herself she was putting the past behind her, that she would only look ahead, to the future, and she kept looking ahead even after Ava was gone.

Now the future was here, staring her down, wearing Leonard's old ring on a chain around his neck.

Sara swallowed, then spoke. "Let's go."

He nodded once, springing into action as he wrenched her away from the wall and pushed her in front of him, covering her as they sprinted for the emergency exit. The element of surprise must have helped, because they made it unharmed, bursting through the door to find twin motorcycles waiting for them outside.

The motorcycles already had one passenger each, two women, both wearing sleek black helmets that hid their faces and hair entirely. One of them, Sara realized, was dressed in an outfit almost identical to her own, except for –

"Give her your jacket," the man from her future ordered, trading it for a helmet and tossing it to her double. "These are friends," he said, putting his own helmet on and gesturing to the other rider. "She's going to get you to safety while we cause a distraction."

"Mick and Ray –" Sara protested, but he stopped her, grabbing her helmet back and fitting it on her head.

"They'll be fine," he insisted, easing her onto one motorcycle and then climbing onto the other, her double grabbing him around his waist. With a jolt, she realized what they were planning, that his motorcycle would be targeted instead of hers, that she'd be safe while they were in danger.

"But –"

"I'll see you soon!" he called, because both vehicles had already roared to life, were already speeding away in opposite directions by the time Sara could process any of it, before she could do anything but grab onto the waist of her driver.

* * *

By the time Barry and Nora arrived at Jitters – alone, since they'd insisted the others stay and enjoy the party – the action had passed and the coffee shop was empty. Well, except for Mick and Ray, who were staring at a new hole in the wall with their mouths hanging open.

"Did you see that?" Ray glanced at Barry, pointing weakly.

"Was it a meta?" Barry asked, stepping over the wreckage.

"No," Ray said, "it was a gang of mean looking guys with storm trooper guns."

"And a bunch of kids," Mick added. "They took Sara."

"Don't worry, those 'kids' are my friends," Nora said. "And most of them are in their twenties."

Mick grunted. "Like I said, kids."

Barry gulped, brow furrowing. "More kids from the future?"

Nora set her shoulders, her expression resolute. "Yep. We're meeting at S.T.A.R. Labs."

* * *

Sara's rescuer refused to look at her. She refused to speak or answer any of the questions Sara threw at her during their break-neck, twisting ride through the city. If that hadn't thrown their pursuers off their path, nothing would.

"Who are you?" Sara repeated for the dozenth time, trailing after the mystery woman as she stormed through the halls of S.T.A.R. Labs, leading them directly to the Cortex.

"I think we're safe now," Sara snapped, frustrated and confused. "Can't you tell me anything?"

"We're not safe," the woman huffed in return, going straight for the computers without even bothering to remove her helmet. "Those men could find you in the past. You really think they won't know to look here?" She punched a few buttons, then began typing furiously. "The standard security protocols they keep in this time period are laughable," she grumbled.

"Who was that guy?" Sara persisted. Clearly this woman could multitask. "The one who got me out of Jitters?"

The woman kept her eyes on the computer, typing in annoying silence for another few moments before stopping suddenly, seemingly finished.

She sighed then, turning finally to Sara.

"He's your son," she said matter-of-factly, tugging off her helmet, "and I'm your daughter."

Sara sucked in a breath as the woman's face – her _daughter's_ face – was finally revealed. Long, black hair fell across her shoulders in a straight sheet, and bright blue eyes flashed at her. She was breathtakingly beautiful, but as Sara searched her face for any resemblance to herself, she couldn't see it. The man from Jitters – the boy, really, he couldn't have been more than 25 – had looked more like her. He had her coloring, her golden skin and light hair. He was the summer to his sister's winter.

But they had the same blue eyes.

Sara tried to find her voice. "You…"

"Shouldn't be here, I know," she sighed, as if expecting a reprimand. "But we didn't have a choice," she explained, something pleading in her voice. "They were going to kill you to erase us from existence. We couldn't let you die, especially not for us."

"Why are they trying to erase you and…him?" Sara couldn't bring herself to say, "your brother", not when it all felt so totally unreal.

"And me," called an indignant voice from the hall. Sara turned to see her other two rescuers jogging to the Cortex, the brother in question beside Sara's would-be double. "Because we're a pain in their asses," she said, smirking.

Now that her helmet was off, Sara could see that she had a sweet, round face, a dusting of freckles over her cheeks and a dimple in her chin. Besides being quite a bit shorter than the other two, she was clearly younger – it was obvious in everything from her youthful face to her carefree swagger. Her black hair was pulled back into braids and a bun, and when she flashed Sara an impish smile, those same bright blue eyes staring back at her, she suddenly saw herself.

"I have _three_ kids in the future?" Sara cried, utterly shocked and overwhelmed.

"If it makes you feel better, Sara, I met my future daughter today too."

Barry Allen ambled into the Cortex, trailed by Ray, Mick, and a woman Sara didn't recognize.

Oh. _Barry's daughter._

"It does, sort of?" she said, glancing between Barry and the woman uncertainly.

"This is Nora," Barry introduced. Nora looked supremely uncomfortable as she nodded to her future-hero-kid peers.

"Sara, we're so glad you're okay!" Ray cried, rushing up to her and throwing her into a tight hug. "Your future kids are all really attractive," he added, squeezing a little harder before finally releasing her.

The kids in question all flashed him fond smiles before turning back to each other, snapping back to business.

"You threw them off?" Sara's older daughter (her _daughter!_ ) asked. She was the oldest of the three, Sara decided, watching the way the other two looked to her.

"Oh yeah," her brother said. "We staged a real dramatic accident. The others are chasing them out of 2018 for good measure."

"Good. Did you find –"

"No," Sara interrupted, putting a hand to her forehead, suddenly unable to take it all. "I can't have kids. This is impossible!" She knew she sounded hysterical, and she didn't care. "How can I have kids?" She certainly didn't have a man in her life. She hadn't even been romantically interested in a man since…

"No," her son (her _son? No!_ ) said, as they all chose to ignore Sara's outburst.

"Where's Dad?" the young, impish one asked abruptly, turning back to Sara. "We have to make sure he's safe, too."

"We couldn't find his readings in 2018," her sister added. "Is he on another mission?"

"Who's their dad, Sara?" Ray asked cheerfully.

"I have no idea!" Sara yelled, growing more agitated by the moment.

"You don't know where Dad is?"

"I don't know _who_ he is," she growled. "I don't have children."

"Come on," the boy said, reproachfully. "Stop joking. Aren't you pregnant?"

Sara snapped. " _What?_ "

"Sara! You're already pregnant!" Ray cheered. "Why didn't you say something? Oh! Is Gary the father?"

Mick smacked him across the back of the head. "You think she'd have three kids with _Gary_?"

"Ow. Well, who else has she seen recently-oh-my-god-it's-Constantine!" Ray gasped, his words running together. "Wait. Why don't they have British accents?"

"That's not how accents work, Haircut."

"Oh yeah, duh, sorry, I just get really excited about these things."

"I'm _not_ pregnant!" Sara cried.

"Well, you should be soon," the young one muttered, glancing at her older sister. "Her birthday is coming up in about nine months..."

Sara tugged at her hair. "Stop, all of you." She turned back to her would-be children. "Look, I'm sorry, but I don't know who your father is. I think there's been a mistake."

"Okay, here's a clue," the older girl said, rolling her eyes. All three of them clearly still believed she was joking, and it was miserable how not-funny it was. "You fell in love on the Waverider after Rip Hunter recruited you to stop Vandal Savage. Ring any bells?"

Ray gasped. "Oh my god, Mick! Are you the father?"

"I'm right here, Haircut. They're looking for someone else."

Ray's mouth dropped. "Am _I_ the father?"

Mick's eyes rolled all the way back into his head.

"Is…Jax…your father?" Barry asked, his voice trailing up into a squeak at the three identical glares he received.

Nora huffed, sending him a glare of her own. "You're not funny."

Barry sighed. "Why do I get the feeling you tell me that a lot?"

"Seriously, none of you know who our dad is?" the younger girl asked, frustrated.

"You're not joking? Any of you?" her older sister added. At the sight of all their frowns and shaking heads, she stilled, crossing her arms over her chest.

"It's Leonard Snart," she said, defiantly, sticking her chin out like she dared any of them to disagree.

Sara was speechless. Part of her rebelled against the words, rejected them, absolutely refused to believe them. The other part of her knew instantly that they were true, knew it to her core, really, had already known it, had only been waiting to hear it confirmed since the moment she'd seen Leonard's ring.

And now that they'd said it, she suddenly saw him, Leonard, in all of them. She couldn't believe she hadn't seen it before. Those were his eyes they all had, after all. The oldest one, she looked the most like him, that's why she didn't look as much like Sara. She couldn't look at her face without seeing Leonard now, his straight nose, his full lips, his tall, lanky fame. She could so easily picture him beside her, his arms crossed in just the same way.

But it was impossible.

"Snart's…dead," Barry said, unhappily. "I'm sorry, but there's been a mistake."

"If he were dead, none of us would be here," the younger girl snapped.

"No, really," Ray said, his brow furrowed, "he died in an explosion at a place called the Oculus Wellspring. He died to save us," he gestured to Mick and Sara, "and the world."

"No, he didn't," they protested, all speaking at once.

"You didn't let him!"

"You…"

"He…"

They all trailed off, looking at each other in confusion.

"I can't remember."

"Me either."

"Shit."

"Watch your tongue." Under different circumstances, Sara would've laughed at the big sister scolding her little sister, who just stuck her tongue out in response.

"Wait," the older girl added, suddenly turning to her brother. "Your scar, it's gone." She lifted his hair off his forehead, looking closer. "You've had that scar above your eyebrow since you were a baby, and it's gone."

"Time is changing," he said, grimly.

"It's solidifying," she added, "if we can't remember what happened to Dad."

Just then, a shriek echoed across the room.

"Raimy!" the youngest cried, calling for her sister as she watched her own hand, then arm, begin to disappear.

"Alexa!"

The others watched helplessly as the siblings crashed together, the older ones grabbing their little sister just as her hand and arm snapped back to reality.

"That was horrible," Alexa gasped. "Don't let me be erased!"

"Calm down," Raimy said, even as she clung to her sister. "We're going to figure this out."

Sara felt a strange wave of uncertainty, part of her wanting to comfort the trio, the other part feeling like an intruder in a family she didn't belong to.

"Gideon must've been wrong," their brother said. "She said mom was already pregnant in 2018."

"Gideon's never wrong," Nora argued, coming over to hug Alexa herself. "She must've just been going on the wrong timeline data. Obviously, something changed, even if we can't remember what. No – I can't either," she said, at their questioning looks. "Raimy, do you know when the others should be back?"

"Wait," Ray cut in. "Your name is Raimy?" he asked, his face lighting up with excitement. He turned to Sara, the huge smile on his face growing bigger by the moment. "Did you name her after us?"

"What're you babbling about now?" Mick grumbled.

"Ray and Mick," Ray explained, gesturing to himself and Mick in turn. "Ray-me, Ray plus Mick. Come on, you hear it!"

Raimy herself just sighed, dropping her shoulders. "We weren't going to tell you our names," she groaned. "We wanted to keep _some_ things a surprise for you."

"They still don't know my name," her brother said, helpfully. "Just call me a nickname until we leave."

"Oh, I know," Alexa said, obviously welcoming the distraction from being nearly erased. She flashed him a mischievous grin. "How about 'Junior'?"

He groaned.

"Junior?" Sara sputtered, surprised back into speech at last.

"It's not what you think," he said, holding up a hand and shaking his head. "Dad would never have named me after…himself."

"Then what did we name you?" Sara countered.

"Well," he sputtered, shrugging helplessly. "I guess you could call me –"

"Q!" A light, feminine voice shouted from the hall. "Q, you'd better be in here, or so help me!"

"That," he breathed, his head snapping up in surprise. "Call me Q."

"'Q!'" His sisters mocked, rolling their eyes as they exaggerated a breathy sigh.

His body stuttered into movement, dazed, but by the time the source of the voice burst into the Cortex, he was rushing to meet her.

"Queenie, what are you doing here?" he called.

Sara's first impression of "Queenie" was that she seemed uncannily familiar. She was only a blur of bright blonde hair, glasses, and a floral dress – the word "cute" came to mind – but she definitely reminded Sara of someone.

"What am _I_ doing here?" Queenie countered, throwing her arms around him. "You're the one who sent me a _text_ to say you might be erased from existence. Did you seriously think I wouldn't come?"

He released her then, stepping back. "But how?"

"Your team left the jump ship behind in case of emergency. Seemed like this qualified."

"Thank you," he sighed, drawing her back into another hug.

"Gag me," Alexa groaned.

"Wait," Sara said, her mind suddenly connecting the dots. "Junior – Q – we name him Quentin? After my dad?"

Something tightened in her stomach at the thought, and for the first time, Sara truly felt like she could have a son.

"Oh, please call him 'Quinny'," Alexa said, grinning as Raimy rolled her eyes in exasperation. "It'll make him so mad. 'Only Queenie can call me Quinny,'" she added, her voice low in surprisingly good imitation of her brother.

"Gag me," Raimy agreed.

"Are they dating?" Sara asked, studying the couple as they spoke quietly to one another, and wondering if she should be feeling maternal concern.

"No," Alexa said. "They'd be less unbearable if they were."

Sara hummed, still trying to decide who Queenie reminded her of. "Who is she?"

Just then, a gaggle of colorful twenty-somethings emerged into the Cortex, each more attractive, and cocky, than the last.

" _They_ are the future's heroes."


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the delay here - this story has been more challenging than I thought! I really had fun creating these new future heroes, and I hope you enjoy them too! Thanks for reading :)

* * *

"The future is doomed."

Mick scowled at the group of young heroes. "These kids need a babysitter."

He had a point, Sara thought – a few of them looked like they might still be teenagers.

Ray grinned, clapping Mick on the back. "Come on, you're not impressed?"

"That's impressive, Haircut?" Mick grumbled, watching two of the new Legends. They were celebrating with a coordinated victory dance, including fist bumps, hip checks and a high five.

"We are unstoppable," one said. He had a tall, lanky frame, with dark skin and black hair shaped in a high-flying box cut. It was as retro and chock-full of swagger as he was, Sara guessed, if his popped collar and smirk were any indication.

"Untouchable," the other agreed, mumbling around a sucker hanging out of the corner of his mouth. He had a mop of messy, dark hair tucked behind his ears, and wore a pair of round sunglasses that reflected the room in purple hues. The sleeves of his bomber jacket were pushed up, revealing tattoos and bracelets on his tan wrists and fingerless gloves on his hands.

"Raimy," a low voice cut over them as a third pushed forward.

This future Legend was clad from the neck down in a body suit of red, metallic armor, with a glowing, yellow sphere at his chest. He had broad shoulders, a sharp jaw, and black hair, tousled as if he'd just removed the helmet he carried tucked under an arm. But Sara was most struck by the intensity of his dark eyes, trained intently on her supposed-future daughter.

"I thought you were gone," he said, stopping just before her and placing his free hand on her arm. From her place beside them, Sara couldn't miss the way he leaned into her, or how his eyes drank her in, as if needing to convince himself she was real.

Raimy's face fell, her brow furrowing in confusion. "Adam, I'm fine." She leaned into his touch. "What happened?"

He swallowed, as if steeling himself for his next words. "Back on the ship, I started to disappear. I thought I was being erased from the timeline."

Raimy sucked in a breath. Her head jerked up to her siblings, her eyes wide. "The same thing happened to Alexa," she said. Her eyes darted to Sara as she swallowed, then raised her voice so the others could hear. "Our mom is fine, but our dad is gone. Everyone's saying he died. _Years_ ago."

Adam's brow shot up. "That's impossible."

A chorus of shocked denials rose from the newcomers, each of them echoing his sentiment.

"We were there," Mick bellowed, silencing their protests. "He's gone." Mick scowled, deepening every crease in his hard face. Sara saw all the pain there, and felt it, a hundred times over.

"But did you see him?" Adam insisted. "Did you bury him?"

"Well, no," Ray cut in, watching Mick from the corner of his eyes. "He held down a failsafe device to trigger an explosion. The rest of us had to get out of the blast's range."

"Blondie was the last one who saw him," Mick muttered, his eyes glued to the floor. "I was trying to set off the bomb. Snart knocked me out and took my place." His voice faded to a growl as his eyes went distant, lost in the memory.

Raimy rounded on Sara. "You let him?" Her eyes, _Leonard's_ eyes, bore into her, round and hurt. "You just left him to die?"

Sara didn't know what to say, staring back at those eyes with her mouth open. _No,_ she thought, then, _Yes._

"It wasn't like that," Ray said, but his words felt sorely inadequate in the silence that followed.

Sunglasses tugged his sucker out of his mouth with a pop, and the ridiculous sound defused the tension. "Shit."

"Guess we fucked up again," Box Cut agreed, dropping his arms to his sides in exasperation.

"Can't we have _one_ win?" Sunglasses sighed. He jabbed his sucker back in his mouth, then gathered his hair back into a high bun, tied with an elastic from his wrist.

"Aw," Ray cooed. "They sound just like us! I like them."

Mick grunted. "I hate kids."

"Where was he last?" Sunglasses asked, rubbing his hands together. "We'll fix this."

"The Vanishing Point," Ray said. "Leonard destroyed the Time Masters, restored free will and generally saved the world."

Box Cut crossed his arms, exchanging a glance with Sunglasses. "Well fuck," he said. "Can you get us there?"

"Duh," Sunglasses said. He pulled his hands a part, and a silvery black sphere appeared before him, spinning and twisting in midair. "You guys ready?"

A blast of cold shot over the sphere, freezing it solid.

"Stop."

All heads turned to another young man, standing with a hand outstretched. For a moment, Sara thought she saw his eyes glow silver blue, but when she blinked, it was gone. He had light brown hair, swept back off his face with soft curls brushing his jawline.

"What d'you think you're doing, twip?" Box Cut stood behind Sunglasses, glaring in solidarity. Suddenly, his eyes lit up yellow, and his head burst into flames.

The other man frowned, and his hands balled into fists. "You need to chill." His eyes frosted over, glowing blue, and his hair brightened, whitening from root to tip.

"Guys, enough!"

A girl jumped between them, holding her hands out, unfazed by their radiating ice and fire.

"And cool it with the ice puns," she added.

"He's rubbing off on you," Sunglasses called, watching from a safe distance.

The girl groaned. "Ugh, that's what I'm saying!"

"We need to think this through," Ice Boy said, ignoring her. Ice crystals crawled over his hands, and his breath came out in a cloud.

"We need to move fast," Box Cut argued. He put his hands up, flames licking his fingers.

"I said enough!" The girl screamed. This time, her voice echoed sharply and painfully through the room, its force so loud it pushed her teammates off their feet. Ice Boy and Box Cut both faded back to normal, groaning from the floor.

"Wow, the future Legends really do take after us," Ray said, grinning at Mick and Sara. "Remember when we used to fight like that?"

Mick shrugged. "What, like yesterday when you ate my lunch?"

Ray didn't hear him, already helping Box Cut to his feet. "You know, your powers look a lot like Firestorm's," he said.

"They are, exactly," Box Cut agreed. "I'm Jason, aka Firestorm." He winked. "Yes, by myself. It's a long story."

"It's not that long of a story," Sunglasses said. "He just doesn't like to talk about it."

"And that sounded like a Canary cry if I ever heard one," Ray said, nodding at the girl.

She had long, straight brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, a black choker wrapped around her neck, and an outfit made entirely of black leather. She frowned, watching Ray with her eyes narrowed.

"What's it to you?" she snarked.

"Just curious," Ray demurred, meandering around the room, pointing at the newcomers in turn.

"That looks a lot like the A.T.O.M. suit," he said, his brows raised at Adam. The younger man just shrugged, his face revealing nothing. Ray's brows furrowed, but he moved on.

"And you, Queenie," Ray mused, turning to the blonde girl, who was still standing off to the side with Quentin. "If you're not the spitting image of Felicity Smoak."

"I know you dated her," she sighed, "let's not make it weird."

"Seriously," Sunglasses agreed, "this is definitely weird enough as it is."

"That vortex you created," Ray added, shifting to him, "looked just like the portals Cisco makes. This might be a long shot, but… Are you his son?"

"I have a son?"

At that moment, Cisco himself entered the Cortex, staring at Sunglasses with wide-eyed disbelief.

"Shit." The boy choked on his sucker, then his jaw dropped, and it fell straight out of his mouth.

"I have a son!" Cisco ran across the Cortex, grabbing Sunglasses by his arms. "Tell me everything! Am I married? Who is your mother? Wait, no, don't tell me. We can't hurt the timeline." He stared at Sunglasses, then shook him. "BUT I NEED TO KNOW! What's your name?"

"Uh," Sunglasses sputtered. "Call me Paco."

Cisco sucked in a breath. "Francisco. You're named after me?"

Paco grimaced. "Guys. Help?"

"What're you all doing here?" Barry asked, drawing attention back up to him. Iris, Caitlin and Ralph had all entered behind Cisco. They watched the scene unfold with mixed expressions of shock and amusement.

"What?" Ralph asked, shrugging. "Did you really think Iris was gonna sit quietly at a baby shower while you ran off with her daughter?"

"Why are you wearing sunglasses unironically inside?" Cisco continued, ignoring the others.

"They're power enhancing," Paco said. "Like your visor, but more shway."

"I don't know what that means, but it's awesome," Cisco said. "What about your ridiculous man bun? Is that power-enhancing too? Otherwise, take it out."

Paco laughed so hard, he doubled over. "This look is working for me," he said, catching his breath. "And, it'd look good on you too. You should try it."

"Maybe we should get back to the crisis at hand," said Adam, and the yellow light in his armor seemed to glow brighter for a moment, catching their attention. He frowned at his teammates, his expression dark. "If Leonard Snart is dead, then Raimy, Alexa and Quentin could cease to exist at any moment."

"And you," Alexa murmured, but Raimy cut her off with a glare.

"I still can't believe Sara and Leonard have _three_ kids in the future!" Ray gushed, grinning at Sara. "Mick, did you see this coming?"

Mick rolled his eyes. "No. Mainly 'cause he died."

"Is it true, Sara?" Barry asked, breaking the sad hush that followed. "You and Snart…" He paused, a crinkle forming in his forehead. "You fell in love on the Waverider? I'm so sorry, I never knew."

Sara nearly choked on the question. In that moment, everyone in the room disappeared. In that moment, she saw Leonard again, as she pulled away from their kiss, his face lit by the blue glow of the bomb that would kill him.

 _You just left him to die?_

"No."

Sara blinked back against the weight of their stares. She turned away, not wanting to see the looks on her would-be children's faces.

"No…?" Barry asked, confused.

"No, we didn't fall in love," Sara clarified, her voice hard. "I'm sorry to disappoint you." She shook her head, willing them to look away. "You all must've come from an alternate timeline or something."

Quentin sighed. "That's not possible. We have safeguards from Gideon."

Sara crossed her arms, steadying in her resolve. "Well, then they failed."

"Let me ask you this," Raimy said. "Didn't you spend all your free time together?"

"No," Sara said, at the same time Mick and Ray said, "yes."

"It was sweet," Ray added. "They were always playing cards."

"You mean 'playing cards,'" Mick said, inserting heavy air quotes.

"And didn't he give you his jacket that time when you were freezing to death?" Alexa asked, "to keep you alive just a little longer, even if it hurt him?"

"Well, yes," Sara admitted, "but –"

"Didn't he choose you," Quentin added, "over his best friend, when Mick almost killed you?"

"Yes," Mick said, answering for her.

"I think we all knew how strongly he felt about you then," Ray agreed.

"Look, that doesn't mean we were 'in love,'" Sara said, sarcasm dripping from the words. "Who even told you all that?"

"Uncle Mick and Uncle Ray, of course," Quentin said, smirking.

"Have you at least considered that you might have landed in an alternate timeline?" Sara asked, growing irritated.

Nora shifted uncomfortably, but Raimy was resolute. "We are _not_ in an alternate timeline," she said, her voice low and intense. "Our enemies chased _you_ here to destroy us. They're probably responsible for what happened to Dad."

"Dad!" Sara huffed, her voice suddenly rising. "You don't have a dad." She could feel the hysteria bubbling up, and she took a deep breath, trying to control herself. "Look, I'm sorry, but you've got it all wrong."

"I do have a father." Raimy closed the distance between them, using her height to tower over Sara. "He's the love of your life. And I'm going to get him back. With or without your help."

The women stared each other down, blue eyes meeting blue. For a moment, Sara truly thought she would punch her.

Then Barry coughed, breaking the tension. "I think maybe the grown ups should go talk," he said, gesturing to the hall.

Sara nodded once, her muscles still tense and coiled as she forced herself to walk away.

Paco snorted. "While they go off to handle their midlife crises," he said, rolling his eyes, "let's figure out a plan."

Cisco's mouth dropped. "Watch your mouth, young man!"

"C'mon, Ramon Senior," Ralph teased, dragging him along. "Team Classic?" He added, glancing back to be sure they were all following.

Adam's voice trailed them out of the Cortex. "They didn't bury him," he said, his voice growing distant. "And we're all still here. That means he's out there, and we can fix this."

Sara ignored him, letting her feet carry her down the corridor.

"Those are not my children," she said, when they were out of earshot.

"Well, they look an awful lot like you," Ray said.

Mick grunted. "They look like Snart."

"A really great mix of both of you!" Ray amended. "I mean, you're both attractive on your own, but your kids…"

"Not. My. Kids." She tossed her hands in the air, and her legs began pacing back and forth. "It's impossible."

"Sara," Iris said, placing a hand to her arm to stop her pacing. "Barry and I just found out we're going to be parents too. I know how crazy this all sounds, but we have to hear them out."

"Uh, hello?" Cisco pouted. "Did I not also just find out I'm going to be a dad? Where's my sympathy?"

"Do you need sympathy?" Barry asked, and his mouth curved up in a smile. "You seemed pretty excited about it."

Cisco groaned. "But I have no idea who his mother could be! Do you know how stressful that is?"

Ralph grinned. "Well. Who do you want it to be? Gypsy? That pretty bartender?"

"What about Kendra?" Barry asked helpfully. "You two really got along."

"You know, I was engaged to her," Ray said. "You could show some tact."

Barry's eyebrows raised. "I didn't know," he said. "What happened?"

"Please don't get us started on Bird Girl," Mick groaned. "He'll never stop."

"Did you see that one boy with the ice powers?" Caitlin asked, cutting in. "Do you think he –"

"Looked a lot like me?" Ralph asked. "Yeah, I was just thinking that! Could he be my son?"

Caitlin's eyebrows shot up. She pursed her lips, then frowned. "That's not what I was going to say."

"Well," Ralph chuckled, "if I'm not his father, who could it possibly be?"

"What, I'm gone for a _day_ and you replace me with twenty new heroes?"

They all turned at the sound of a voice and footsteps as a newcomer approached from down the hall.

"Harry?" Caitlin asked.

He smirked. "I knew you'd miss me, but if I'd known you'd need that much help, I never would've left."

"It's been like, three or four months," Barry said, fairly, "and there's not even ten of them."

"Not the point, Bare," Iris whispered.

"Harry," Caitlin repeated, then rushed down the hall, throwing her arms around his neck. "What're you doing here?" She pulled back, a huge smile on her face even as Harry looked down on her in bemusement.

"It's been awhile," he said, softly. "And I've been feeling more myself lately. Thought I'd come say hello while Jesse is out of town with friends." He paused, a small smile forming on his lips as he watched Caitlin. "Who's the welcoming committee?"

"Oh hey, Uncle Harry," Quentin said, strolling into the hall with a casual wave. He was followed by his sisters, Nora and Adam.

"Allen," Harry growled, rounding on Barry. "Why is this grown man calling me uncle? What've you done to the timeline this time?"

Barry threw his hands up. "This has nothing to do with me this time, I swear."

"Uncle Harry!" Nora gushed, giving the stunned man a quick hug of her own. "Did you come to help my parents and the team save Uncle Leonard?"

" _Uncle Leonard_?" Sara muttered. "This gets less and less possible by the second."

"Your parents?" Harry wondered, turning a smirk on Barry. "Let me guess. Your last name is some combination of West and Allen."

"Duh," Nora said, giggling at him.

Harry rolled his eyes. "You were saying, Allen?"

"It might have a little to do with me," Barry grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "But it's mostly about them," he added, gesturing to Quentin, Alexa and Raimy.

"We're working on a plan," Raimy said, taking that as her cue. "Mom – " she stopped herself, shaking her head. "I mean, Sara," she blinked, fixing her expression. "Will you come with me to the Waverider? We'd like to have Gideon check you to be sure we're not in an alternate timeline."

Sara crossed her arms over her chest. "And prove to me that you're my kids?"

Alexa shrugged. "You said it."

"Will you come?" Raimy insisted.

Sara sighed, dropping her arms. "Fine."

"Great," Raimy said, though she didn't sound happy. "Quentin and Alexa will stay here with the others to work on our rescue plan."

"Operation Dad," they said simultaneously, high-fiving without even looking at each other.

"I'm coming with you," Adam said, his gaze fixed on Raimy and his tone final. "You're going to want back up in case you're attacked on the way to the ship," he added, as she started to protest.

Raimy sighed, her expression resigned. "Fine. Let's go."

"Ooh, I'll go too!" Ray said, springing into step beside them. "Two A.T.O.M.s are better than one, I always say."

Sara glanced between Adam and Ray, and suddenly his mental math added up. They were about the same height and build, with the same dark hair, brow and set to their jaws. While his demeanor was a great deal more serious, Adam could be a younger Ray.

Or his son.

"My name is Adam," he said, raising a stoic eyebrow at Ray. "You're the A.T.O.M."

Ray shrugged, grinning. "If you say so. How different is your Gideon from ours?" He added, easily changing the subject. "I can't wait to meet her."

Raimy shook her head, exasperated, but made no move to stop him as he followed down the hall. "Let us know if you need help," she said, glancing over her shoulder at her brother and sister.

"Will do," Alexa replied, saluting.

"I guess I'm on babysitting duty," Mick sighed. Then he turned to Barry and Iris. "I'm going to need time and a half for this many kids."


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the wait again- since I last posted, I started a new job and bought my very first house! To make up for it, have an extra long chapter :) Things are about to get crazy. I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

"So, Adam is definitely my future son, right?" Ray gushed, keeping his voice low as he and Sara followed Raimy and Adam to the future Waverider.

Sara gritted her teeth, using every ounce of willpower to not roll her eyes. "Who knows?"

"He's gotta be," Ray whispered. "Look at him! His suit, his features…" He stopped short, gasping. "What if Nora is his mother? His eyes sparkle just like hers."

Sara gagged. "Spare me."

Ray just grinned. "Look at our kids together," he sighed happily, watching Adam and Raimy, their heads bent toward each other in quiet conversation. "Do you think they get married in the future?"

"We don't know for sure that they're together," Sara pointed out, "or that he's your kid," she added, not that Ray listened.

"Please! Don't you see the way Adam looks at your daughter?" Ray sent her a conspiratorial grin. "He's smitten. No—more than smitten. More like, _desperately_ in love. Palmer boys fall hard."

"You need to stop reading Rory's romance novels." Sara groaned. "And I still don't think she's my—"

"Sara," Ray stopped her. "She is. I know it's complicated with you and Snart, but why are you so against the idea?"

Sara pressed her lips together, looking away.

"You don't get it," she muttered. "I'm not meant to be a mother."

Ray opened his mouth to speak, but then gasped as they finally entered the Waverider of the future.

"Wow," he breathed, craning his neck to look around.

Sara had to agree, gazing in wonder at what used to be just a plain metal hallway. Someone had painted it from floor to ceiling, a mix of mural and graffiti art in every color of the rainbow. Everywhere she looked were scenes of the Legends and their deeds past and present. Sara noticed an image of the original team silhouetted on a rooftop, the night Rip first recruited them. There was Martin in his Old West outfit, and Rory with George Washington. She saw Kendra in her Hawk mask and Amaya with her totem, Rip in his trench coat and Jax as Firestorm. She even saw herself as White Canary, back to back with Captain Cold…

She could've spent hours looking at the murals, remembering old friends and wondering at the battles and Legends yet to come. But then they passed out of the tunnel and onto the bridge, leaving those memories behind.

Gideon's cool voice washed over them from above.

"Welcome back, Captain Lance."

"Hey, Gideon," Sara said, then started, as Raimy echoed her words at the same time.

Raimy's mouth twisted in a rue smile. "She was talking to me. Sorry."

Sara bristled in disbelief. "Gideon, you were talking to me, right?"

"I was addressing Captain Raimy Lance, of course," the AI replied, smoothly. "Although it is wonderful to see you, Sara."

Sara huffed. "Oh, so we're on a first name basis in the future?"

"It would seem," Gideon said, and though she didn't laugh, the air rang a bit as if she had.

"So," Sara said, turning back to Raimy and swallowing her pride, "you have my last name instead of Snart's. Why?"

Raimy frowned, exchanging a look with Adam before answering. "Dad thought there was too much baggage with his name." She met Sara's eyes. "He thought if we ever wanted to live normal lives, it would be easier to be Lances."

"Aw," Ray cooed. "Sounds like Leonard makes a good dad. Who knew?"

"So, your brother and sister are Lances too?" Sara asked, ignoring him. "And what about me?" She added. "Did I take Snart's last name?"

Raimy exchanged another glance with Adam, then sighed. "Look, details about the future are on a need to know basis, and none of this is need to know." She turned, speaking over her shoulder as she strode toward the hall to the med bay. "If you want to know the future, better help make sure it happens," she said. "Then you can find out for yourself."

Sara folded her arms across her chest, not liking the way Raimy led, assuming she'd be followed.

"Come on, Sara," Ray coaxed. "Your daughter is captain of the Waverider in the future. Aren't you at least a little proud?"

Adam chuckled, brushing by to join Raimy in the hall. "You should be," he said. "Trust me, she had competition."

Grudgingly, Sara could admit to herself that she would be proud, if she ever had a daughter. But she didn't. And she didn't believe she ever could.

The brief walk to the med bay felt more like a funeral march, Sara glowering the whole way. She was only doing it to appease them—she knew they were wrong. Raimy wasn't her daughter, and Gideon would prove it. As she climbed onto the exam chair, she repeated it to herself like a mantra. _They're wrong. They're wrong. They'll see._

And then Gideon scanned her, announcing that she _was,_ in fact, part of the same timeline as Raimy and the others.

 _Shit._

Well, Sara swallowed, believing it and accepting it were two very different things.

"Of course Sara is your mother," Gideon said, speaking to Raimy. If an artificial intelligence could sound offended, she certainly did. "I helped her deliver you, after all."

Sara did a double take. "I gave birth _here?"_

"Where else?" Gideon asked. "You refused to leave your captain's post, despite Mr. Snart's arguments that a timeship would be unfit for childbirth. He would've taken you to 2095, when labor is at its safest. See how wrong he was?"

"Wow," Ray grinned. "Gideon, did I help deliver Raimy too?"

"Of course, Dr. Palmer," Gideon replied. "You insisted, and we had no other options."

"No other options?" Ray deflated. "Wouldn't I have been the first choice? I have a merit badge in first aid."

"That's enough of spoiling the future," Raimy said, rolling her eyes. "Thank you, Gideon."

"Captain," Gideon said, a strange hesitance to the word. "There's something else you need to know."

Raimy frowned. "What is it?"

Gideon paused, as if choosing her words. "Based on my scan of Sara, the window for your conception is growing frighteningly small."

Raimy froze. "What do you mean?"

"According to my calculations," Gideon said, "in just under two hours, you will no longer be a genetic possibility."

Sara met Raimy's eyes. Understanding passed between them with a shudder.

"You're saying that if I'm not conceived within two hours," Raimy started, her hands balling into fists, "I won't be born?"

Gideon sighed. "That's correct."

"We'll just have to go further back in time," Raimy said, relaxing at the thought. "Rescue Dad sooner."

"That won't be possible," Gideon said, her cool voice grim. "The timeline is almost solidified. If we leave without altering this course, you'll be erased as soon as we make the jump."

"We could jump to the time stream," Adam cut in. "She'd be immune to any changes there."

"Captain Lance would have to remain in the time stream indefinitely," Gideon replied. "The Waverider could never land again."

"That's not an option." Raimy turned away, her voice low and angry.

"Raimy," Adam said, reaching for her. She pushed him aside. "We'll figure this out," he insisted.

"We don't even have my father," Raimy cried. "It's not possible."

"I can administer Sara a dose of hormones that would extend the window up to four hours," Gideon said. "It's perfectly safe," she added, "but I would need to give it as soon as possible. Immediately, in fact."

Raimy locked eyes with Sara, her own blue eyes round and pleading. "If I'm not born, Adam will never come on to the Waverider. He'll be erased along with me."

Ray, watching from the corner, made a strangled sound of protest.

"That's the least of your concerns," Adam said, taking a step toward her.

"Don't act like it doesn't matter!" Raimy snapped, wrenching back.

"What do you mean he'll be erased?" Ray asked. "How—"

"Please," Raimy said, ignoring them and taking Sara's hand. "I know this is crazy to you. And you don't have to have me if you don't want to. Just give us a little more time to figure it out." Her desperation hung over the room, a physical thing.

Sara wanted to say no. She'd never wanted kids, not since before the _Gambit_ , and especially not since things ended with Ava. She wasn't meant for it. She'd disappoint them.

But then Raimy squeezed her hand, and she felt her heart squeeze with it.

"Fine!" Sara burst, not even fully aware of what she was saying. "Give me the dose, Gideon."

"Right away," the AI said, and Sara winced at the prick of a needle in her arm.

It was just to buy them more time, Sara told herself. It didn't mean anything.

Ray wheeled on Raimy, stricken. "Why will my son be erased from the timeline if you're not born?" He demanded.

Adam sighed, stepping between them. He and Raimy exchanged a look, and she nodded sharply.

"You are my father," Adam admitted, "but it's not how you think. I'm not your…" He swallowed. "I was adopted." He paused a beat, letting Ray absorb his words.

Ray flinched, his eyebrows flicking up in surprise.

"The Legends found me in 3031," Adam continued. "I was being held at the medical testing facility where I was born, bred for experiments. No better than a rat." His eyes narrowed, lost in memory. "I was ten, or so Gideon told us. Not like they celebrated my birthdays."

Ray cringed, and Sara felt a wave of disgust rise in her throat. Why, after all they'd done, was the future still so awful?

"It's a long story, but," he continued, "Raimy found me. She'd snuck off the Waverider while you and Mick were supposed to be watching her." A ghost of a smile passed over his lips as his eyes darted to Raimy. "She caused a distraction with a few minor explosions. Freed me and a dozen others from imprisonment. Then she brought me to the Waverider."

Sara hummed. It sounded like the kind of prison break Leonard would have pulled...

"How old were you?" she asked, impressed despite herself.

"Twelve," Raimy said, shrugging, as if that were the least of her pre-teen accomplishments. "It was easy to convince you to let me save him," she added, smiling fondly at Ray. "Uncle Mick went along with it after that. We hid Adam onboard for three months before anyone else found out." She smirked, and Sara was reminded again of Leonard, so forcibly it almost hurt. "By then, there was no way we could take him back to his time, to that place."

"And you took me in," Adam finished, looking to Ray. "You raised me as your son. Are you disappointed?" He added, a quiet afterthought.

"Disappointed?" Ray scoffed. "Why—"

"I'm not your blood," Adam said.

Ray's features softened. "Being a father takes more than DNA," he said. "I should know—I never had one. That's why I'm so excited to know I get to have a son," he added. "And look how you turned out. How could I be disappointed?"

Adam smiled at that, his whole face brightening. "I'm glad."

Ray grinned too, but the smile vanished as his eyebrows crinkled in thought. "So, without Raimy, you die at the testing site?" He asked, his eyes darting pleadingly to Sara.

"I wish," Adam said. His head hung. "My fate is more terrible."

Ray frowned. "What—"

"Without Captain Lance's intervention, he will become one of the worst tyrants the multiverse has ever known," Gideon inserted. "A hundred times more powerful and deadly than Vandal Savage—he'll be a conqueror across both time and universes."

Ray's jaw dropped. "You don't seem like a vicious tyrant."

"Thanks to you, and the other Legends," Adam said, "I'm not."

"Sara," Ray said, his voice hushed, "you have to have Raimy. To save the multiverse!"

"Nothing as dramatic as that," Adam assured her. "We're actually not sure if my displacement will do more harm than good. Without me in the future, another tyrant rises. The one we're fighting now." He stopped, his features freezing. "Raimy," his voice lowered, "it's my fault this happened. If I hadn't left the future, your family would never have been targeted."

Raimy scoffed. "It's not your fault you were rescued from slavery and torture," she said, placing a hand on his arm. "And don't forget, I'm the one who changed history. We can't change it back unless…" she trailed off, her eyes drifting to Sara.

"We have four hours?" Sara asked, breaking Raimy's gaze.

"Just under," Gideon replied. "I've fabricated a timer for you to wear on your wrist," she added, helpfully. "I've also fabricated some prenatal vitamins for you. As I recall, you had issues with nausea during your first pregnancy. This formulation should be easy on your stomach."

"No pressure," Sara sighed, snapping the silver band onto her wrist and swallowing the pill dry. "Well, even if I was sure about this—which I'm not," she added, glancing up at Raimy and the others, "I can't exactly make a baby on my own."

"Maybe Gideon has some genetic data from Snart in cryo storage?" Ray wondered.

"Ugh, gross," Sara balked. "How would she even get that?"

"I meant from when she replicated his arm!" Ray huffed. "Obviously your head is in the gutter." He paused. "On second thought, maybe that's a good thing."

"Even my technology is not that advanced, Mr. Palmer," Gideon said, a chiding tone to her voice. "We do need the real thing. But, if he were here, we could explore artificial insemination."

Sara shuddered. Something about the idea of _that_ was too cold, considering how she felt about—

"Let's cross that bridge when we come to it," Raimy said, watching Sara. "First, we need to help the others get him back."

"Hey, Raimy."

A voice buzzed from Raimy's wrist. She lifted it to her eyes, pressing a button on a small silver band, and a miniature image of Quentin sprang to life in hologram.

"Tell me you have good news," Raimy said, "because we have a situation."

"Yes and no," he hedged. "We've got Dad."

"Thank god," Raimy sighed.

"How'd you get him so fast?" Ray whined. "We wanted to help!"

"Not the point, Ray!" Sara groaned.

The point was that Leonard was _alive_. Her chest sang at the thought of it, even as her stomach twisted in nervous knots.

"I got him back for you, Sara!" Barry said, squeezing into the picture and waving. "Now you guys can fall in love for real."

"With two Vibes and two speedsters, it was pretty easy," Quentin added.

"Alright, showoff," Raimy said. "What's the bad news?"

"The bad news," he paused, glancing behind him, "is that Dad took on some excess time radiation before we could grab him."

"We think he'll be okay, Sara!" Caitlin called, poking her head into the video frame. "Don't worry, Harry and I are taking good care of him."

"As usual, Snow is downplaying the situation to spare your feelings," Harry inserted. "It was a very close call. No guarantees."

"He's exaggerating!" Caitlin insisted.

"Do we know what the long-term damage will be?" Raimy asked, her voice steady, even if her hand wasn't.

"How will this impact his fertility?" Ray called.

"Unknown," Quentin answered. "We're all still here, so that's a good sign."

"For now," Raimy muttered.

"The time radiation likely aged him a couple years," Harry added. "Hope you like older men, Lance."

"Who doesn't?" Caitlin murmured. In the corner of the frame, Harry's head swiveled toward her.

"Who doesn't like young, healthy men?" Ralph added, from somewhere offscreen.

"It's probably for the best," Quentin said. "We think it caught him up to be about the right age for us to be born."

"Don't worry, Sara, he looks the same!" Barry called.

"That man is ageless," Caitlin agreed.

"Okay," Raimy said, nodding. "How's he doing now?"

"He's still out," Quentin said. "Alexa is sitting with him."

"He's asking for her!" At that moment, Alexa came bounding into the frame, breathless and smiling. "It was so romantic. The first thing he said when he woke up was, _'Sara?'_ " She sighed, clasping her hands to her cheeks. "I mean, I think he thought I was you, but it was still _so_ sweet. I knew you were full of it, Mom!"

"He's awake?" Quentin asked, his eyes narrowing, "and you left him?"

"He's in and out," Alexa shrugged. "What! It seemed important to tell her." Quentin lifted an eyebrow.

"Sorry I want our parents to be in love," she snarked. "Or do you like the feeling that your whole life was a lie?"

"Alexa…"

"He's fine," she insisted. "I left him with Uncle Mick."

"Alright," Quentin relented, "we'll check on him in a minute. What's your situation, Raimy?"

"Oh, I just can't wait to see the look on his face when he finds out we're his kids!" Alexa squealed, talking over him. "It'll be priceless."

It would be, Sara realized.

"Don't!"

Sara sprang from the med bay chair, pushing her way into the video frame. "Don't tell him," she repeated, more insistent.

"What?" Quentin and Alexa both stared at her.

"Please," Sara said, "Let me be the one to tell him. I have to know…" she trailed off. "Just let me."

Leonard Snart was an expert at hiding his emotions, even when he was at his most vulnerable. The moment he first reacted to the news could be her only chance to gauge his true feelings about it. And she had to know.

"Okay," Quentin said, softly.

"You'd better get your ass down here then," Alexa added.

"Yes," Raimy said, shifting the camera back onto herself. "That's what I was going to tell you. We need Mom and Dad to talk as soon as possible. In a few hours, I—"

Quentin's eyes rolled back in his head, and Raimy stopped short. His hand fell, dragging the camera with it as he slumped to the ground. A low groan sounded over the connection.

"Quentin!" Alexa cried.

"Everybody get down!" Quentin growled, his voice tight with pain.

Then the video cut.

And the alarms sounded overhead.

"The troopers broke my geo fence," Raimy said, turning to Adam with wide eyes. "Get to the bridge. Gideon!"

"Yes, Captain?" Gideon asked, as Raimy rushed down the hall, the others close behind her.

"Get the guns locked and loaded," she said, taking her seat in the captain's chair. "We can't let them break into S.T.A.R. Labs."

"We're too late, I'm afraid."

* * *

" _No strings on me."_

It felt like falling, Leonard thought, this dying business. Like falling and falling, just as lonely as Sara described. He hated it. He wished he could take it back.

What fools, heroes.

Then, all at once, he fell up instead of down. He came to with a shudder and a sharp inhale, the world a blur and yet more clear than he'd ever seen it.

" _He looks so young…"_

"… _Think he's coming to…?"_

"… _Should tell him…"_

"Sara?"

He focused on the figure leaning over him, her voice and silhouette achingly familiar. He'd been so stupid with Sara. All those moments, wasted, boiled down to a fleeting kiss he couldn't even enjoy.

But he'd never forget the wanting.

"I'm sorry," she murmured. "Sara will be here soon." Some of the fog lifted from Leonard's vision, and the woman's face melted into view. She _was_ Sara, but not. Her hair was too dark, her face too young. But as his eyes drifted shut again, and the woman faded, he could believe it was her. He wanted it to be her.

He felt the woman leave his side, an absence that raked at him. And then another presence stepped to take her place.

"Hey, Boss."

"Mick," he rasped. His eyes wouldn't open again, but he knew that voice as well as his own. "Glad you made it, old friend."

Mick would kill him for what he'd done. But Leonard hoped not, because he was _alive._ He'd been so sure he'd die there, at the Oculus. He hadn't wanted to.

"You're an idiot," Mick said, bluntly. "But I missed you." He was quiet a moment, then, "it's real good to see you again. Been too long."

"How long…?" Leonard trailed off. He couldn't have been out more than a few hours. A few days?

"Three years."

Leonard's eyes snapped open. "What—"

"You've been dead," Mick said, just like that. "For three years." He sighed, sitting heavily in the seat beside the bed. "Welcome back."

 _Three years._ Leonard took a deep breath, struggling to process. His gaze cast about, looking for answers, landing on a sign.

"Are we at S.T.A.R. Labs?" He asked. His mouth felt like cotton, his throat so dry he could hardly speak.

"Yup," Mick agreed, holding a cup for Leonard to drink. "Better get your thank you ready for the Flash. He saved your life."

Leonard accepted the water, chugging it all in one gulp. "That's terrible," he gasped, coming up for air. He didn't mean it, of course. He'd long since grown a fondness for Scarlet. But it was easier to pretend.

"You're telling me." Mick grunted. "I'm the one who had to put up with him."

"Thank you," Leonard said, meeting his partner's eyes. He had no idea what'd happened, but he was sure it'd been hard on Mick.

"I'm just the babysitter," Mick mumbled, looking away.

Then a cry rang out from down the hall.

" _Quentin!"_

" _Everybody get down!_ "

There was a beat of silence.

And then an alarm sounded.

"Uh oh," Mick muttered.

"What's that?" Leonard asked, struggling to lift himself out of bed.

"Nothing good," Mick said, his expression dark. He looped an arm around Leonard's shoulders, hoisting him up and then crouching them down.

Just as a shockwave shook the entire building, and the glass walls surrounding them simultaneously shattered.

" _Watch out!"_

The echo of footsteps pounded toward them.

"Get behind me," Mick ordered, pushing Leonard back.

"No—"

"Get back, you asshole!" Mick growled. "You're unarmed and you can't even stand."

With empty hands and no heat gun in sight, Mick was hardly better off. But the dangerous look on his face dared Leonard to argue, and for once, he kept his mouth shut.

Mick tensed as the footsteps closed in, then relaxed as Barry Allen and a group of others slid into view.

"You're okay!"

The woman—girl, really—who'd been with Leonard when he woke heaved a sigh of relief.

"Come on," she said, sliding over the glass shards to help Mick lift him back to his feet. "We've gotta get somewhere secure."

"Cisco's lab only has one entrance," Allen said.

"Can't you just zip around and carry us all there?" Leonard snarked, limping around the dramatic height difference between the girl and Mick, as they both tried to pull him forward. "Also," he added, "I hear a thank you is in order. So, thanks, kid."

"Oh, I missed you, Snart," Allen said, helping his doctor friend over the glass. "I dunno what that blast did, but I can't use my powers."

"Me neither," complained a tall, gangly man behind her.

"Come on!" A younger man—a boy?—urged them forward, into the hall. "We don't have much time!"

"Q, are you okay?" The girl asked, shifting under Leonard's weight. "What happened back there?"

"I'm fine," the boy insisted. "But we won't be if we don't—shit."

They rounded a corner, only to find a group of armored men entering the hall from the other side.

"I've got him. Go!" Mick yelled, pulling Leonard off the girl and pushing him to the side.

She didn't waste any time, somersaulting down the hall, coming up with throwing stars between her knuckles. They landed in the necks of her targets, then shocked them with a jolt.

"New toys?" The boy asked, pulling out a gun in each hand as the first men fell, waiting until the footsteps of the next came closer.

"Adam helped me with the electrics," she grinned. "I'll have Gideon fabricating them in no time."

Then the next wave of men rounded the corner. The boy fired his guns, the blasts shooting fire out of one hand and ice out of the other, pistol versions of the heat and cold guns.

"Where'd he get those?" Leonard demanded. After three years, had the team replaced him so easily?

"Let's go!" The girl called as the last men fell.

They sprinted down the hall, Mick dragging Leonard along, finally reaching the lab. Mick sat Leonard in a corner, leaving him to catch his breath as the others filed in.

"This isn't exactly secure," the boy complained, jiggling the door handle. It didn't even lock. "Jitters is safer than this." He rolled his eyes, jabbing a button on his wrist. "Raimy, are you there?"

"Here," came the disembodied voice of a woman. "What's your status?"

"I've got Alexa, Mick, Barry, Ralph, Caitlin, Harry and—Leonard," he said, hesitating just slightly at his name. "We're holed in the mechanic's lab, but we won't last long. No meta powers," he added. "Killer Frost?" He glanced up at Caitlin. She shook her head, a silent apology.

"They threw a dampening cloak over the building," the woman, Raimy, said, her voice low and worried. "They sent a lot of men, Q."

"Where are Iris and the others?" Barry asked, his brows furrowed.

"I'll see if I can patch them in," Raimy said.

"We're fine!" A new voice came through the microphone, warm and feminine. Barry's girlfriend, if Leonard remembered right. "Don't worry, Bare. I've got Nora, Cisco and the other Young Legends. We're in the speed lab."

"We're just the Legends," came another voice, this one male and bored-sounding. "And, we're not that young."

Iris hummed. "You seem pretty young to me."

The boy frowned into his wrist. "Queenie? Are you okay?"

"I'm not the one who almost just died of a seizure," a female voice quipped. "Yeah, I hacked into your vitals. Because they _stopped,_ Quentin. What happened?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "It wasn't a seizure."

"Sure looked like it," she countered.

"It was like, I had a vision," the boy—Quentin—said. "Of the future, right before it happened."

"Like a vibe?" Cisco's voice came over the comm.

"Maybe," Quentin hedged. "I don't know. Let's get out of this and we'll figure it out."

Barry nodded, stepping forward. "How're you guys doing without powers?" He asked.

"Marty here has been a real help," Iris said. "And Kate can swing a punch. We're fine."

"Quentin." Raimy's voice cut in. "Gideon says you've got company. A dozen troopers headed your way."

"Why aren't we firing at their ship?"

Leonard's head jerked as another voice echoed out of the comm, this one he would know anywhere. He'd been hearing it in his dreams for weeks, after all.

 _Sara._

Leonard's stomach swooped. Did she know he was alive? Would he live long enough to see her again?

"We're outmanned and outgunned," Raimy said, drawing Leonard's thoughts back to the present. "If we give away our location, they'll shoot us out of the sky. We need a plan."

"We need to _do_ something," Sara argued. "They're sitting ducks!"

"Speaking of…" Quentin started, his head turned to the sound of footsteps pounding toward them.

"I'm not getting us killed for nothing," Raimy said, not hearing him, her tone final. "They need us alive."

"Alexa," Quentin said, turning to the girl as Raimy and Sara argued in the background. "My guns won't hold a charge for much longer. How many more of those electro-stars do you have?"

"Four," she said. "They weren't easy to make. But I've still got a few knives, too."

"Save those for close combat," he said, raising a gun and steeling himself at the door—just as another young man burst through.

"Watch out!" His brown hair turned white, the tips brushing his jawline as he moved, spinning around and shooting a blast of cold at the door far greater than anything Leonard's gun could have produced. In just a few moments, a sheet of ice a foot thick separated them from the door.

"That should hold them."

The newcomer turned, his white bright eyes and hair fading back to normal.

"Oh my god," Caitlin whispered. "You _are_ like me."

"What did you do?" Quentin demanded, rounding on the man. "You just left everyone else?"

"They're coming after _you_ guys," he argued. "And you're not the only one allowed to care about saving his—"

He cut off, frowning. Leonard followed his gaze to Alexa, who was watching him, her eyes wide.

"That's enough, Marty," she murmured. "Thank you for saving us, but I don't think that's going to hold long enough, either."

"I've got it!" A high voice cheered from Quentin's wrist.

"What've you got Queenie?"

"I rigged the alarm system. You guys should get down. And," she added, taking a deep breath, "cover your ears. This may break the comm, so if it does…see you on the other side."

And without another warning, a high-pitched wail echoed through S.T.A.R. Labs. Leonard jammed his ears plugged, but it didn't matter. The screaming pierced through his ears, through his bones, through his entire body. It stretched on and on, never ending, and he cried out from the ache of it. He squeezed his eyes shut, grateful as the pain pulled him under.

* * *

" _She said not to tell him."_

" _I still think we should—"_

" _No."_

Leonard rose through the darkness for the second time, his ears ringing. He groaned, rolling onto his side.

"You okay, Boss?"

This time, he opened his eyes to find Mick crouching over him, a frown deepening the creases around his mouth.

"I'm alive," Leonard said, very much feeling it.

"Good." Mick clapped him on the back, helping him sit up. "That's how I like you."

"Raimy?"

Quentin was talking into his wrist. He tapped the silver band there a few times, then frowned, dropping his hand to the side.

"We've lost comms," he said. "How's everyone doing?"

Barry was wobbling to his feet. He waved, nodding his head, too winded for speech.

From the corner, a pile that was Caitlin, Harry and Ralph sat up together.

"Guys, get off me," she groaned. Harry rolled away, but Ralph stayed with his arm wrapped around her shoulder.

"Are you alright, Caity?" He asked, his face dipping closer to hers.

"I'm fine," she insisted, pushing him off. "And never call me Caity again."

"Good thing I saved you," Ralph smiled, dusting himself off.

"You did no such thing," Harry snapped, glaring at him.

"We're lucky we were insulated from the worst of it." The newcomer, Marty, was already standing, leaning against the wall. "Hopefully that was enough to force the troopers to retreat."

Alexa hummed, craning her neck back to look at the ceiling. "We could check." She dropped her eyes back to Quentin. "You thinking what I am?"

Quentin sighed, taking a few steps toward her. "Fine," he agreed, grunting only a little as she clambered onto his shoulders.

"Hang on!" She called, pushing the cover of a ceiling vent back before lifting herself easily up and in.

"Be careful, little spider," Quentin murmured, but she was already gone.

"I should be with Iris and Nora right now," Barry said, leaning over a counter and frowning at the ground. "I hope they're okay."

"Who's Nora, Allen?" Leonard asked, watching Barry. "Did you and Iris have a kid already?"

Barry laughed, a blush rising to his cheeks. "Someday we will," he hedged. "How about you, Snart? You've got a second chance at life. Think you'll have a family someday?"

"Can you _really_ see me as a dad?" Leonard drawled. He had no idea where Barry would even get the thought.

"What good are dads anyway?" Mick wondered. "I killed mine."

"Same," Leonard agreed, narrowing his eyes at Barry.

"Everyone needs a dad," Caitlin said, helpfully. "I grew up without mine, and that was really hard."

"Does everyone here have daddy issues?" Ralph wondered.

"Just today," Quentin muttered.

"Technically, I grew up without my dad, too. But you were a great mentor to me, Leonard," Barry said, his expression earnest.

"Mentor," Leonard scoffed. "Was that all I was to you, Allen?"

Barry grinned at that. "I really did miss you."

Leonard sucked in a breath, thinking. "On that note," he started, "how is it that I've been dead for three years?"

"Well," Barry said, tilting his head, "you didn't actually die. We saved you right before the Oculus exploded. It's just been three years for _us_ since that happened."

"So, you went back in time?" Leonard asked. "What took you so long?"

"We didn't think it was possible at the Vanishing Point," Mick said, leaning heavily back against the wall.

"And then we found out it was," Barry added quickly, smiling as he always did—but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"As always, Allen is minimizing the efforts of the others around him," Harry muttered. "Trust me, it was not that easy. If it hadn't been for me and Snow, you'd probably be—"

"Enough bragging, Harry," Caitlin inserted, rolling her eyes.

"It was actually boring, for some of us," Marty added.

"Now," said Ralph, his tone chiding, "that's not a good team spirit."

That earned him a withering look. "You're not my dad," the boy said.

Then, much to Leonard's confusion, Ralph deflated. "Really?" He whined.

Caitlin sighed. "I could've told you that."

"Anyway," Barry cut in, "you're very welcome, Snart. We're glad to have you back."

Leonard hummed. There was more to this story, obviously, but he decided to let it drop—for now. There was another pressing question he needed answered… "Sara and that other woman, they're on the Waverider?"

"That's right," Quentin said. "I'm sure they're safer than we are, don't worry."

"Considering our position, that's not very comforting," Leonard snarked. "Who's after us, anyway? Don't tell me we're still trying to kill Savage."

"A time-traveling tyrant, much worse than Vandal Savage," Quentin explained. "We'll beat him like we always do."

Leonard frowned. "And who are _you_?"

"We're Legends, just like you," Quentin shrugged, casually, but Leonard didn't miss the way his eyes dropped to study the band on his wrist.

"How did you become Legends?" Leonard pressed.

"You could say they were born for it!" Ralph quipped. "Ow," he added, frowning down at Caitlin. "I know it's hard to keep your hands off me, but watch it, will ya?"

"Snow lashes out at stupidity," Harry said. "Can't say that I blame her."

"Okay!" Alexa dropped back into the room, breathless and a little rumpled. "It looks like they're gone. You can probably use the heat from your gun to melt the ice, right? Then we can get out of here."

"We're not going anywhere," Leonard said, glaring up at them, "until you tell me everything you're hiding."


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** If you are still reading this, thank you! My time/interest in writing has been waxing and waning, but it helps so much whenever I hear from you! :) Another long chapter here, hope you enjoy it!

* * *

Back on the Waverider, the buzzing alarms finally shut off. Sara, Ray, Adam and Raimy stood on the bridge, silence ringing around them now that the attack on S.T.A.R. Labs was over.

"The troopers are retreating—for now," Raimy said, watching the monitor.

"No thanks to us," Sara said, pointedly. She couldn't help glaring at her would-be daughter. So what if Raimy was captain of the Waverider in the future? This was _her_ home turf, and her friends whose lives were on the line. Mick, Barry and all of team Flash had been in danger, and what if something had happened to them? She'd deserved a say when the attack broke out. Not to be completely ignored.

Raimy frowned, refusing to look at her. "Comms are out." The last thing they'd heard from the team in S.T.A.R. Labs was a high-pitched wailing. "Adam, can you help me re-establish a connection? We need to get everyone out of there."

Adam leaned over the console to check the monitor. "We're going to Plan B?"

"We don't have a choice," Raimy sighed. "We knew this could happen."

"Because Plan A went so well," Sara muttered.

"Well," Raimy shrugged, "you know what Dad always says." She glanced up at Adam.

"Make the plan," he grinned at her.

Raimy returned his smile, her features softening. "Execute the plan."

"Expect the plan to go off the rails," Adam added.

"Throw away the plan," they finished in unison.

Sara crossed her arms over her chest, indignant. "When has he _ever_ said that?"

Raimy's face fell instantly. "He never talked about the four things to remember?"

Sara stood a little straighter. "Not to me."

"Maybe he picked it up later," Ray suggested, putting a hand to Sara's shoulder. "I think Snart was used to pulling off his plans, until he joined the Legends."

Raimy dropped her eyes back down to the console, all signs of her smile and softness gone.

"Sara," Gideon interrupted, her voice sounding from above. "While we have a moment, could I speak with you in the library?"

Raimy glanced up, meeting Sara's eyes.

"Sure," Sara said, "no one else wants to hear what I think anyway."

Raimy paused a beat, her forehead crinkling and her mouth forming an indignant line. Then she dropped her gaze back to the console and her work.

 _At least she sticks to her guns_ , Sara thought, turning on her heel and heading for the hall.

She stifled a groan as Ray trailed her.

"You don't need to be so hard on Raimy," he said. "She's just trying to protect you."

Sara pursed her lips. "If this is how we get along in the future, I don't understand why."

Ray hummed, letting out a little laugh. "Well," he said, eyes twinkling, "she probably likes being alive."

Sara huffed, rolling her eyes and throwing him a look that said, _not funny._ And yet – maybe he had a point. Her heart sank. What if she were in the same position, with her own mother or father targeted to erase her from the timeline? She would want to save them because she loved them, more than she wanted to save herself.

But, if that happened to someone like Leonard… She knew the Legends would protect Lewis Snart, for Leonard's sake, but no one on her team would be happy about it. Was that how Raimy and the others felt, having to do whatever it took with their lives on the line? Did her kids hate her?

"You know why you're butting heads, right?" Ray smiled, interrupting her thoughts. "She's just like you."

Now _that_ was hilarious. "Excuse me?"

"Smart, stubborn, fierce," Ray rattled off. "Your daughter is your mini me. It's adorable!"

"She's not—" Sara frowned. "I'm not stubborn!"

"Really, Sara?"

"Fine, whatever," she groaned. "Look at me! This is not how a mother should act with her daughter."

"That's what I wanted to show you, actually," Gideon said, just as they rounded the corner into the library.

The room looked much the same as the library on their own Waverider, with the same wood finishes, leather furniture, books and artifacts. If she hadn't known better, Sara could've sworn she was home. Just yesterday, she and Nate had been in here looking at an ancient history book. And right there was the spot she'd plotted with Gideon to find Damien Darhk, back when revenge was all that mattered, after Laurel and Leonard had…

But then the viewing screen flashed to life, showing images so strange Sara was sure they were out of an alternate universe.

They were pictures of her. With _children._

"Gideon, what the hell?"

Sara stepped closer to the screen, sure she was seeing wrong.

In the first image, she was holding an infant swaddled in blankets, a faint smile around her lips as she looked down on it. Then the picture changed, and she was crouched near the ground, laughing as she gave a little girl wearing miniature boxing gloves a high-five. It looked like the girl knew how to hold her fists, too, even though she couldn't have been older than three or four. In the next picture, Sara was grinning as the girl—now maybe eight—cheered, a black belt around her waist.

Then the image shifted again, and Sara was flat on her back, reading a picture book to a young boy. In the next picture, the boy was a little older. She placed a band-aid on his knee as he grimaced, fighting to keep a brave face.

"Sara, you and your kids are so cute," Ray gushed. Sara ripped her eyes from the screen to tell him off, only to find he had real tears brimming in his eyes.

"Gideon, should you be showing me all this?" She said instead, surprised at the tremor in her voice. "Doesn't your programming keep you from telling us too much of our own future?"

"When they were children, Raimy, Quentin and Adam covertly adjusted my programming to lower the threshold on my filter," Gideon said, a note of pride to her crisp voice. "They were tired of not being privy to more 'grown up' information. No one was ever able to put it back."

Sara frowned. "That's terrifying."

"That I have more control over my own information?" Gideon asked, her tone warning.

"No," Sara said. The AI did seem more sentient than ever, but it was _Gideon_. That didn't worry her. "That our kids are so smart. What're we gonna do with them?" She bit her lip, wondering again what her relationship would be like with Raimy, Quentin and Alexa as they grew older.

"You and Mr. Snart manage, together," Gideon said, her voice warm. "Shall I show you?"

"I don't think that's a good idea—" Sara started, but Gideon was already flashing more pictures before her eyes. A lump formed in Sara's throat at the sight of them, as each new image featured her and _Leonard._

In the first photo, she and Leonard kissed while a boy and girl looked on, sticking their tongues out in mock disgust. In the next, the four of them were piled together, snoozing on a sofa, with a baby draped over Leonard's shoulder. Sara glanced around, realizing it was the very same sofa as here in the Waverider's library. More pictures showed her and Leonard laughing with the children, reading to them, cooking for them in the Waverider's galley and even practicing self-defense together in the training room. In one photo, Leonard was playing chess with a little boy while Sara watched, a small smile on her lips. In another, Sara played peek-a-boo with a chubby baby in Leonard's lap. A few others showed just Sara and Leonard together, smiling, kissing, looking at each other like there was no one else in the world.

 _I have a family._ Sara swallowed, floored by the sight of it.

With Laurel and her dad gone, her relationship with her mom cordially distant at best, and after everything had ended with Ava… She'd given up on the idea of ever having a family, outside of the ever-changing Waverider team. She would always, always be alone, and that was that. Even meeting her future children in the flesh had been unreal.

So, why did it feel so much more possible seeing Leonard in the pictures with her?

Finally, the screen went dark.

"Wow," Sara murmured. "We're so…"

"Happy?" Ray finished.

"I was going to say domestic," Sara admitted, "but yeah." It was strange, seeing how happy they seemed. "Where'd you get these pictures, Gideon?"

"I took them, of course," said the AI, which explained how they were all so candid. "I've been fortunate enough to be part of your family, and you are my family as well," she continued. "I watched you and Mr. Snart fall in love, and then as your children grew. I watched you become a family, and I would do anything to protect you. Even from yourselves."

The AI paused, as if she needed to collect herself.

"I don't want you to miss out on the best times of your life. Which, as it happens, are some of the best times of my existence," Gideon said. "I thought it would help you to have a preview of what's to come."

Sara's heart twisted at the sincerity in her words. Their invisible caretaker was always with them. She'd taken it for granted, until now.

"Thanks, Gideon." She was too overwhelmed to say anything else.

"Makes me really miss Anna," Ray murmured. "I thought we'd have all that, you know?"

Sara's heart dropped, her eyes jerking to him. How could she have forgotten about that? Sweet Ray. He was always so goofy and optimistic, she never thought about his past, he never mentioned—

"Ray, I'm—"

"No, no," he stopped her, smiling in a way that reminded her there was so much more to him than she gave him credit for. "It's just," he paused. "When I thought Adam was my son, biologically, I hoped that meant that…I find love again. Maybe me and Nora." He smiled again, the movement stretching his face but not meeting his eyes. "I can't help but wonder if I'll always be alone."

"That's a negative, Dr. Palmer," Gideon chimed in. "You will not be alone. I could tell you more, if you like."

Ray's features shifted from surprise to confusion. Then he softened, a genuine smile lighting his face.

"No thanks, Gideon." He looked down, taking a breath. "I'd rather keep it a surprise. Just knowing, though…thank you."

"My pleasure."

"But," Ray added, "I am dying to know. Are Raimy and Adam together? Romantically?"

Sara groaned as the AI made a noise that could have passed for a laugh.

"I doubt they would want me to divulge the status of their relationship."

Ray grinned at Sara. "That must mean they're together. If they weren't, she would've just said no!"

Sara felt herself smiling in return. "He's not wrong, Gideon."

"Perhaps you two should return to the bridge," Gideon said, primly. "Your future children could use your help."

Sara and Ray exchanged another grin as they turned for the hall.

"If our kids were practically raised together," Ray mused, following her back to the bridge, "is it weird for them to be together?"

Sara shrugged, the images she'd seen still floating in front of her mind. "It worked for Barry and Iris."

"Good point!" Ray said, brightening. "It's so romantic how she saved his life, and now they make such a good team working together, and…"

Sara hummed, the sounds of Ray's chatter fading away around her. It was still so hard to reconcile the image she'd held of herself—independent, brazen, deadly—with the happy mom in those photos. Or the image of cool, snarky Leonard, looking for all the world like a great dad. Or the way the two of them had looked together, so happy and carefree, after she'd thought she'd never see him again.

She glanced at the timer on her wrist, ticking down on the little silver band Gideon had oh-so-helpfully provided. They'd already lost more than half an hour of the time they had for her and Leonard to – for Raimy to be – before, well, Raimy would be a "genetic impossibility." She still couldn't say how she felt about that, let alone how Leonard would feel…

"I just don't get it," Raimy was saying, as they joined her and Adam at the control table, snapping Sara out of her thoughts. "If they want us dead, there would be easier ways for them to try it. Taking us on now with all of Team Flash to help us? Seems desperate."

They lapsed into an uneasy silence, Sara regarding Raimy in a new light. Beneath her steely exterior was a little girl with boxing gloves, an 8-year-old thrilled to be a black belt. A girl who smiled at her mom in every photo.

"Wait," Raimy started. She was not smiling now. "They don't want _us_ dead." She sucked in a breath, her jaw dropping. "They want _me_ to never be born."

"Because of me," Adam agreed, his expression darkening. "They don't want you around to save me from that testing site." He paused, his fists clenching. "They want me in the future. Or, they want me to become the tyrant I was meant to be."

"We're not going to let that happen," Raimy said, grabbing his arm. "I can't believe we didn't see this before."

Sara's stomach dropped with sudden clarity. "They didn't retreat from S.T.A.R. Labs because of the noise," she said. "They realized _we_ weren't there."

She swallowed, meeting Raimy's eyes. "They're coming for us."

* * *

" _We're not going anywhere," Leonard said, glaring up at them, "until you tell me everything you're hiding."_

The mood in the work room at S.T.A.R. Labs suddenly tensed, Alexa and Quentin stilling as the others—Barry, Mick, Caitlin, Wells, Ralph and that other boy from the future, Marty—turned their eyes toward them. Leonard watched the duo carefully himself, waiting to catch them in another lie.

Alexa grimaced, forcing her expression into a tight smile. "We're not—"

"Alexa," Quentin cut in. He gave her a significant look. "You were right. We should tell him."

Alexa's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "What?"

"You can say I told you so later," he agreed, grimly. "For now…" He took a deep breath, steadying himself as he turned to Leonard. "We are Legends, but we're not on your team. We're from the future," he said.

Leonard's eyes narrowed. Time travel, he believed in. But this kid? He did not.

"You weren't supposed to die at the Oculus," Quentin continued, after an uncomfortable silence. "Where we come from, you're important to the timeline. When you were removed from it, things started changing in our time." He paused, considering. "Lives were at stake. We came back here to fix it." He glanced at Barry and the others. "Team Flash helped us get you back and save the future."

"And now, some of us would like a nap," Marty snarked. "Saving the future is such hard work. Can we go yet?"

Harry raised an eyebrow. "You hardly did anything."

Marty mirrored his expression. "And yet, this entire day has been exhausting."

"I'm that important?" Leonard scoffed, ignoring them. "Rip recruited me specifically because I'm insignificant to the timeline."

"You destroyed the Oculus," Allen chimed in, a smug little _I-always-knew-you-were-good_ smile around his lips. "You changed your destiny."

Leonard hummed, returning his gaze to Alexa and Quentin. He noted the way they refused to look at each other, their carefully casual body language. Liars, both of them. But why?

"Let's say I believe that," Leonard said, "then tell me, how am I important to the timeline? What stupid heroic thing do I do?"

"I dunno know if I'd call it heroic," Ralph muttered from the corner. "It probably only took a few seconds, right?"

"Ralph!" Caitlin shushed him.

"We can't give you details about the future," Quentin said, shooting a glare at Ralph. "If you know what happens, you might try to change it. Or, you might try to make sure it happens and change it accidentally, and then we'll be back to square one."

Leonard lowered his voice. "If you think I'll change my mind, then I definitely need to know."

"We don't think you'll change your mind," Alexa said, huffing. "But the less you know about your future, the better."

Leonard looked at Mick, who just shrugged. "They saved your life, Snart," he said gruffly, glancing at Quentin. "I trust 'em."

"It's true," Allen agreed. "We thought you were gone until they showed up." The speedster had that earnest look on his face that always brought Leonard around. He couldn't lie to save his life, that much was for sure, and that soothed Leonard's frayed nerves. "We're glad to have you back," Barry added, the corner of his mouth lifting. "I know Sara is really looking forward to seeing you."

"Smooth, Allen," Wells muttered.

"I'm just saying!" Allen grinned.

Leonard's stomach lifted involuntarily, curious at the comment. What did Allen know about that?

"Look," Quentin said, bringing Leonard back to the issue, "those men out there? They're here to kill _you_. They want to change the future." He dropped his hands to his sides. "We're here to protect you. If you don't believe that, then fine. But you're not going to stop us."

Leonard regarded the boy. There was something else, something they weren't saying. Something he wouldn't like. And he would find out for himself.

Then something strange happened.

Quentin's gaze slid to the right, his eyes widening and his jaw going slack. Leonard followed his line of sight, shocked to see the hazy outline of a blob hanging in midair, bright center pulsing and edges churning. He blinked; the blob faded, the edges tinting green.

"It's time to go!"

Leonard jerked his head around at a voice yelling from across the room. There, an even bigger blob was waiting, this one brighter and somehow more solid. A boy with long, dark hair and purple sunglasses stood at its edge, ushering the others forward and into the light. One by one, Caitlin, Harry, Ralph, Barry and Marty passed into the blob and disappeared.

Leonard looked back, but the first blob was gone. He glanced at Quentin, their eyes meeting at the same time.

"We've got about 30 seconds before the power dampening field comes back online," the boy with the glasses called. "Everyone into the breach, _now!_ "

Mick hauled Leonard up, lifting him from under his arm and pulling him into the glowing light.

"C'mon, boss," he said. "We're not leaving you behind again."

The next thing he knew, Leonard was being dragged through a room full of people, light fading from the corners of his eyes. He stumbled, dizzy at the sudden movement. Mick tugged him over to a sofa, forcing him down before he could lose his balance again.

Leonard took a breath, trying to orient himself. The room buzzed with conversations, little groups of heroes talking and laughing with one another. Some of them he knew, like Iris, Barry's girl. Others seemed familiar, though Leonard couldn't put his finger on why. So many of them were young like Quentin and Alexa—more of these future Legends?

"What was that?" he asked. The words sent his head spinning.

"The breach?" The boy with purple sunglasses asked. "A portal for inter-dimensional travel. It's how we saved you. You're welcome, by the way."

"Oh, and I don't get any credit for hacking into the troopers' system?" A girl with a blonde ponytail and glasses crossed her arms.

"Yes, thank you, Mia," the boy grumbled.

"What about the other one?" Leonard asked, thinking of the first blob.

"The other what?"

"The other…breach," Leonard said, his thoughts frustratingly slow. "There were two of them."

"What're you talking about?" Breach boy frowned. "I only made one."

"There were two," Leonard insisted. Faint nausea rose up in his stomach, not helping his growing sense of agitation.

"You took on a lot of time radiation at the Oculus," Caitlin said, gently. "We think it even aged you a few years, so who knows what other effects it had. You should rest."

Leonard frowned, his gaze moving to Quentin. "You saw it."

He stared the boy down, refusing to break eye contact. He hadn't imagined it, not if he wasn't the only one.

Quentin's jaw worked, his forehead crinkling. "I…" he faltered, as everyone turned to him. Leonard could practically feel the kid starting to sweat. "Yeah," he admitted, finally. Leonard swallowed a sigh of relief. "I saw it too." Quentin grimaced. "It was like the vision I had before the attack."

The girl…Mia…jumped up, pulling a tablet from her bag and waving it over Quentin.

"Oh my god," she whispered. "Q, you're practically oozing time radiation. How…?"

The entire room seemed to silence, as everyone took a collective breath. Leonard prickled, an uneasy sense that something significant was going over his head.

"Maybe it happened during the rescue," Quentin said, his tone just a touch too forced. "I could've taken some on from the Oculus too. _Right,_ Queenie?"

The girl frowned, eyebrows raised. "I…guess?" She asked, her tone distinctly saying she didn't think so.

"Uh," said Ralph, his head tilting. "How could you have—ohhh." He stopped short as Quentin glared at him again. Then his eyes shifted to Leonard. "Yes," he coughed. "The _rescue_."

"But Alexa's fine," said the boy with the purple sunglasses. "Maybe it's just a Y-chromosome thing?"

"Legends?" Quentin said, his tone sharp, "team meeting. Upstairs. Now."

The younger heroes in the group followed him up the stairs, a door clicking shut at the top of the landing. Leonard watched them go, a nagging unease at the back of his mind. Some of them had seemed so familiar, and even this place, this house they were in…

That's when it hit him.

"Allen," Leonard drawled, swinging his head around to stare at the speedster. "This is _my_ house."

"It is?" Barry said, note of genuine surprise. He glanced around at the others. "Did you guys know we're in Snart's house?"

"Don't look at me," Caitlin said, shaking her head. She shifted her gaze to Leonard. "This is _your_ house?"

They had every right to be shocked. The suburban home was the farthest thing from his supervillain persona.

"No one knows about this house," Leonard said, his voice lowering to a threatening quiet. " _No one."_

"How come I didn't know about it?" Mick grumbled.

"I've only been here once," Leonard explained. "Scoped it out before I arranged the purchase under a false name. Apparently, the housekeeper I hired is still getting paid," he noted, looking around at the pristine home with its warm wood finishes and comfortable furniture. "Not even _she_ ever saw my face."

"This is my old neighborhood," Barry added, looking out the window. "Snart, you bought a house down the street from Joe?"

Leonard shrugged, unable to hide a little smirk. The house closely resembled Barry's family home, too, just a little bigger and with more of an open layout, the kitchen visible from the living room. "It was when you were still living here. Keep your friends close and all that. You can see your place from the roof." He still felt a twinge of pride that he'd acquired the property without the Flash finding out.

Barry's eyebrow quirked. "I'm not sure if I feel flattered or violated."

"Definitely violated, Allen," Harry muttered.

"I never used it to spy on you," Leonard waved him off. Never mind that Barry had moved and he'd gone on the Waverider before he could. "I kept it for emergencies. Who would look for me here?" He paused, glaring around at the group. "I don't understand how _you_ all know about it."

"Don't get mad at them."

His gaze shifted to a girl he hadn't noticed, standing in a corner instead of upstairs with the others. She had a sweet face to match her sugary sweet voice, with warm brown eyes and short, dark hair.

"They didn't pick this spot," she explained. "The Legends did. It was our plan B in case we got caught at S.T.A.R. Labs. Like you said, no one knows about this house, so we should be safe here."

"If no one knows about it," Leonard snarked, "then how did the _Legends_ bring us here?" He dripped sarcasm over the word—as far as he was concerned, he and Mick were the only Legends in the house.

"We practically grew up here, duh," she shrugged, laughing. "I mean, when you guys were in town and we weren't at my house with Papa Joe, of course."

"Papa Joe," Leonard deadpanned. "Allen, who is this?"

"I'm Nora West-Allen," she said, dimples brightening her face as she smiled.

" _This_ is Nora, Allen?"

"Um," Barry coughed, avoiding Leonard's sharp gaze. "Okay. Nora is my and Iris's daughter. In the future," he added, belatedly. "We just met her today. It's been a crazy one." He grimaced as Iris gave him a significant look.

"Hey, Nora?" Iris asked. Nora turned her grin to her. "Don't you think the others might need you upstairs?"

"Oh, I'm not a Legend," she demurred, modestly.

"I don't think they'll mind," Iris insisted.

"Okay, if you say so," Nora shrugged. A purple and yellow light flashed before their eyes as a breeze blew through the living room, and then she was gone. Clearly, the apple didn't fall far from the tree.

"These kids are driving me crazy," Mick muttered. "I'm getting a beer."

"Is she your daughter, or a Disney princess?" Leonard snapped, rubbing his hand over his face and trying to clear the light spots from behind his eyes. "Are they _all_ your children?"

"We ah, don't know who they all are," Caitlin said. "They're trying not to tell us."

"But they're not doing a very good job of keeping it secret," Harry smirked.

"They're really not," Ralph agreed. "Whatever he said, I know that Marty kid must be my son."

"For the last time, I am _not_ your son."

Marty himself materialized from the shadows. They all started as he sauntered across the room.

Caitlin frowned. "Why aren't you upstairs? Aren't you a Legend?"

The boy shrugged. "When I feel like it."

"Now, that's a terrible attitude!" Ralph slapped him on the back. "You've gotta be a team sport, Sport."

Marty bristled, his eyes flashing silvery white. "You need to stop acting like you're my father," he growled.

"Come on, Dibny," Wells agreed. "There's no way. Snow couldn't –"

He paused, the stern expression on Caitlin's face stopping him cold.

"Go ahead, Harry," she said, lightly, "what couldn't I do?"

"Maybe we should stop trying to guess," Barry suggested, doing his friendly-speedster best to ease the tension. "We'll all find out eventually, right?"

"Bare," Iris started, a worried wrinkle in her forehead. "Maybe we should go to the kitchen."

"But if I'm not his father, then who is?" Ralph laughed. "Couldn't be anyone else we know."

Marty's nostrils flared. "Isn't it obvious?" He looked over his shoulder, watching Caitlin. She frowned, giving a little shake to her head.

"You're all so clueless," Marty threw his hands up. "It's Harrison Wells," he said. "Yes, this one."

Ralph's jaw dropped, his eyes round as he turned to Harry. "No way," he breathed.

"Oh my god," Iris whispered, grinning. "Caitlin, why didn't you tell me?"

Barry's face scrunched, baffled. "Harry?"

Harry, for his part, looked a little as though he'd been hit over the head and won the lottery in the same moment, a small smile winning out over his dazed expression of shock.

Next to him, Caitlin let out a squeak of a laugh, covering her mouth with her hands as her face turned beet red. She resolutely refused to look at Wells, watching Marty instead, as if hoping he'd reveal the punchline to a joke.

Marty raised his eyebrows ever so slightly, a bored insouciance settling over his features. Suddenly, the resemblance to Wells was impossible to miss.

He gave them a withering sigh. "Do I need to be worried about being born, too?"

Caitlin squeaked again, her eyes widening.

"Snow," Wells started, reaching for her, but she'd already turned away.

"I need a minute!" She called, making a beeline for the hall and the bathroom beyond.

"Caitlin?" Iris asked, following her.

For a moment, Wells looked at a loss, watching them go. "I'll be outside," he muttered, letting himself out the back door.

"Wells," Allen started, but the other man stopped him with a glare.

"I still can't believe it," Ralph sighed, falling into an armchair as the back door swung shut. "I never could've seen this coming."

"Honestly?" Barry said, "me either."

"So, I take it the good doctor is your mother?" Leonard asked dryly, regarding Marty.

"Obviously," the boy said. "If I'd known it would upset her that much…" He shrugged, quickly hiding a brief flash of concern. "I'm going to take that nap. Wake me if something interesting happens."

He stalked up the stairs, disappearing into one of the bedrooms.

"Allen," Leonard sighed, "what the hell is going on here?"

Barry scratched the back of his neck, sitting beside Leonard on the couch. "A bunch of our kids and future heroes came back in time to save their present," he said. "Hopefully, they don't screw it up in the process." He let out a nervous sigh of a laugh. "I'm just glad it's not me messing with time, for once."

"It's harder to break than you think," Leonard mused. Then his tone sharpened. "What aren't they telling me?"

"You'll find out," Barry promised. "Soon. It'll be worth it."

Leonard frowned. Barry wouldn't intentionally withhold anything unless he really thought it was for his own good. And yet, Leonard still hated feeling lied to.

"Aren't you excited to see Sara?" Barry prodded, changing the subject.

Leonard's suspicion sharpened. "Why is it," he asked, "that you keep mentioning her?"

"Well, I just heard you had a thing," Barry said, innocently, "on the Waverider."

Leonard felt his heart stutter in his chest. He narrowed his eyes. "Who told you that?"

Barry grinned knowingly, lifting his shoulder back in an easy shrug. "I think she'll be really happy to see you."

"Allen…" Leonard growled, warningly. The speedster's grin only widened.

Just then, a door burst open on the second floor, the sounds of chatter echoing down.

"Where is Cisco?" Alexa asked, skipping down the stairs, Quentin close behind her. "Isn't he back with Raimy and the others yet?"

"No," Barry answered, his grin vanishing. "Should they be back?"

Alexa bounded into the kitchen, grabbing a glass from the cabinet and filling it at the faucet. "Yeah," she breathed, between gulps. "We told Cisco to do some quick reconnaissance, but he was supposed to bring everyone back here right after."

"How'd you know where I keep my glassware?" Leonard interrupted, watching the girl. She hadn't even looked when she'd reached her hand in the cabinet, the motion one of practiced ease.

"Um," she started, eyes darting to Quentin. "It was just the most obvious place for cups to be," she stuttered. "Right by the dishwasher and the sink and the dog's water bowl."

Leonard frowned. "I don't have a dog."

"Uh," Alexa faltered again. "Right. That's what I'm saying. This would just be a good place for one, if you did."

"Nora said she practically grew up here," Leonard added. "Did you, too?"

Alexa took another gulp of water, hiding her face behind the glass. "I mean," she said, glancing at Quentin again. "It's always been like a home base."

"Then why didn't you just say so?" Leonard asked, his voice low.

"We're trying to keep the future a secret," Quentin said, rolling his eyes. "Can't you just accept that?"

"No," Leonard said, shortly. "Not when you're hiding something from me."

Suddenly, the world seemed to tilt under Leonard's seat. He gasped, looking up just as the back door opened. Cisco Ramon stood in the doorway, silhouetted by faint green light.

"I said, 'I'll be back,' and I am!" Cisco called, and yet – he didn't. Leonard swiveled his head around to see Cisco again, now standing at the front door. "You know," the second Cisco muttered, "should've gone with 'come with me if you want to live!'" He shrugged. "Hello, guys? I brought Sara and Ray."

Leonard's head spun. He turned to the back door, only to find it closed, the green light gone. Quentin was watching it too, his gaze distant. Their eyes met, and Leonard knew they'd both seen the same vision. _Again_.

"Just Sara and Ray?" Alexa asked, oblivious. "What about Raimy and Adam?"

"Well," Cisco started, stepping into the house so Sara and Ray could follow. "When I got there, the Waverider was gone and these two were hiding behind a dumpster. Took me forever to find them."

Quentin's eyes narrowed, his gaze sharpening on Sara. "What happened?"

She frowned, shaking her head. "They went to Plan C," she said, her voice quiet.

" _What?_ "

Leonard stilled, his heart pounding in his ears, barely registering Quentin's voice. He hadn't realized just how badly he'd needed to see her.

 _Sara._

He closed his eyes, remembering too vividly the look on her face when she'd pulled back from their kiss at the Oculus. The regret of that goodbye still clung to his chest like a living thing.

"I told her not to," Sara was saying, when Leonard blinked his eyes back open, "but you know how she is. And, there's something else you need to know." She gave Quentin and Alexa a meaningful look.

And then her gaze shifted to him.

Leonard swallowed, nodding at her. Her eyes widened as her jaw twitched in surprise. She took a breath, then nodded back to him, holding out a finger in silent request.

 _Wait_ , her eyes said. Leonard nodded again. He'd waited this long, after all.

Then she waved Quentin and Alexa closer, moving into the dining room and just out of earshot. To Leonard's shock and dismay, Ray and Mick joined them, leaning into the group and speaking in hushed voices.

"Why is everyone in on this but me?" Leonard growled, turning a glare on Allen.

"Join the club," Cisco muttered, squeezing in on the couch between them. "You're not the only one who doesn't get to know about his future."

"Raimy is their sister," Barry said, soothingly. "Sounds like it's something about her, not you."

"Quentin and Alexa are siblings?" Leonard asked, frowning. He'd assumed they were partners, maybe even a couple.

"Oh." Barry smiled sheepishly. "Yeah. Not like it's a secret, right Cisco?"

"Don't talk to me about secrets," Cisco grumbled. "Why won't Paco tell me who his mother is?!"

The sounds of their chatter faded away as Leonard turned inward, moving the puzzle pieces around in his mind. There was something on the tip of his tongue, something he was _just_ missing, and he hated himself for it. Why couldn't he see what was going on?

He closed his eyes again, shuffling through everything he'd learned.

And then a voice startled him from his thoughts.

" _Leonard, can_ _we talk?"_

His eyes sprang open to find Sara leaning over him, her blue eyes boring into his. And yet, it wasn't her. There was a translucent quality about her, and a faint green light glowing around her outline.

Leonard looked around at Barry and Cisco, but they were still chattering away, oblivious to Sara's ghostly presence.

He glanced back, only to see the glowing green Sara disappear into the hall, now with a shadowy green version of _himself_ following her. Even after they moved out of sight, he could distinctly hear her voice, and his own, speaking softly to one another.

Interesting.

He'd gathered by now that he – and Quentin, for whatever reason – were seeing alternate versions of the near future. But neither of his last two visions had been this detailed or lasted this long.

He stood, letting Barry and Cisco go on, muttering some excuse about the bathroom as he followed the apparitions to the master bedroom.

Leonard crept down the hall, unsure if the visions could hear him. The door had been left just slightly ajar, and he paused, listening at the crack.

" _That's why I'm significant to the timeline?"_ He heard himself asking.

There was a quiet pause, then, " _I think it's significant. It is to me."_

Sara's voice sounded defensive. And, was he imagining it, or was there a little hurt there, as well?

For a few moments, Leonard only heard quiet murmurs. He waited, considering cracking the door a little wider when it suddenly burst open.

" _Don't be angry,"_ Sara called, trailing behind Leonard's green vision-self as he brushed past. _"I asked him to let me tell you myself."_

Leonard frowned, watching himself storm to the door.

" _Glad you're close enough to keep that secret from me,"_ he snapped, yanking the front door open and slamming it behind him without ever looking back.

The vision version of Sara stood speechless, watching him go, her form flickering in the green, hazy light. Then she glanced down at her wrist, looking at a little silver band there.

" _Quentin!"_ She cried out, the shock on her face shifting to pure devastation as tears burst into her eyes. _"It's Raimy, she –"_

A glowing green version of Mick entered, pulling Sara into a hug. She buried her face into his chest, tears falling openly.

" _Look what you've done,"_ vision Mick growled, glaring at the green vision of Quentin.

Leonard blinked, stunned as the visions suddenly disappeared. The ground tilted beneath his feet again, nausea crawling up the back of his throat. He reached out a hand to lean on the stairway banister, trying to steady himself before he fell, hard.

"Snart?" Allen called, his head poking over the sofa. "Are you okay?"

Leonard gritted his teeth, slowly rising. He glanced up at the closed front door, then at Sara and the others, still talking quietly in the dining room.

"Fine," he called, choking back a grunt at the effort. "For now," he added, only to himself. He couldn't shake the vision of Sara's face when he'd stormed out, the devastation and tears she'd shed…for him. He hadn't known anyone cared for him like that, let alone _her_.

Whatever secret there was, he realized with burning clarity, he didn't care. This was his second – third? – chance, and he wasn't going to fuck up again. Whatever his vision had shown, didn't matter. He created his own destiny. That's what all this was for, wasn't it?

Resolving himself, he crossed the foyer to the dining room.

"Lance." He stopped outside the circle of conversation, waiting until her eyes met his. "Can we talk?"

She blinked, her face carefully blank, then nodded. Leonard turned, leading the way back to the bedroom. Whatever was going on here, Leonard swore, he wasn't giving her up without a fight. Not this time.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note:** Thanks again for all your kind notes on the last chapter, they keep me going! Hope you enjoy this one :)

* * *

Sara's heart slammed into her chest as Quentin, Ray, Alexa and Mick joined her in the dining room. She almost couldn't breathe. She definitely couldn't speak, her entire body buzzing.

 _He's right there_ , she thought, _like he never left._

 _Leonard._

She still felt hypnotized by the sight of him, the way his eyes found hers as she'd walked in the door. Just that one glance had sent a hundred memories flooding back, memories of _me and you_ and _wanna dance_ and—

"What the hell was ' _Plan C_ '?" Mick growled, shaking her out of it. "You just gonna turn yourselves in next?"

"Usually our 'Plan C' is 'wing it and try not to get killed,'" Ray added.

Quentin grimaced. "Plan A was to make our enemies _think_ they'd won, then hide out at S.T.A.R. Labs until they made a time jump," he explained.

"Plan B was to hide here in case they figured it out," Alexa added.

"Where is _here_ anyway?" Ray asked. "This is a pretty nice place."

"It's our house," Alexa said, "obviously."

Sara blinked. "Whose house?"

" _Our_ house," Alexa repeated, giving her a significant look.

"Well, I guess it was Dad's house?" Quentin shrugged. "He bought it before you met."

Alexa smiled, a dreamy look coming over her face. "It's where we stayed when we weren't on the Waverider, for holidays and stuff. Like a vacation home," she added. "We've had a lot of good times here."

Sara stared around at the space, the warm wood finishings and cozy atmosphere. It had been so long since she'd had a real _home_ , outside of the Waverider. Since before the _Gambit._ It was something she never thought she'd have again.

 _Our house_.

The thought of it sent a squeeze of want around her heart—and a stab of fear. She just kept discovering more that she had to lose.

"This is one of the safest hiding spots we have," Quentin said. "We've kept the location of this place secret for years."

Alexa hummed, nodding. "A secret we're risking for our own futures by being here now."

"That's why it was Plan B," Quentin admitted.

"Still beats the crap out of Plan C, I'll bet," Mick grumbled.

Quentin crossed his arms, eyeing him in a way that was somehow both defensive and sheepish. "Thanks, Uncle Mick," he muttered. "Plan C was to bring the fight to them, as a last resort," he finished, frowning. "What I don't understand is _why_ Raimy and Adam would try that alone."

"Well," Ray hedged, "they didn't exactly go in fighting."

Sara looked at the floor, aching at the reminder. "Raimy is going to get herself captured and taken hostage."

"So yes," Mick snarled. "They turned themselves in."

Sara's eyes went distant, wishing again she could've talked Raimy out of it.

" _What if they kill you?"_

" _I'll be worth more to them alive than dead."_ Raimy had been insistent. _"They'll use me to get Quentin and Adam to cooperate."_

" _What if you're wrong?"_ Sara countered.

" _At least they'll interrogate me. While they're busy with me, they won't be looking for you. We'll buy enough time for you and Dad to talk and the others to break in."_

" _And what if they kill you in the process?"_

Raimy just shook her head. _"There's every chance I won't exist by the time the sun sets today. It's a risk I'm willing to take."_

Even now, the thought of it made Sara's blood run cold.

" _Raimy, I'm sorry—"_

" _No."_ Raimy stopped her. _"You have nothing to be sorry for."_ She'd taken a deep breath, meeting Sara's eyes. _"You never asked for any of this, and I… I asked for too much. My whole life, you gave me everything. Now it's my turn. Whatever happens, just know that I love you."_ She'd paused, calming the tremor in her voice. _"No matter what. Please just remember that."_

The words still echoed in Sara's mind. She'd never forget her daughter. No matter what happened with the timeline, the memory of the daughter she could have—might've had—so like her, so brave and fierce, would always stay with her.

" _How can I lose you now?"_ She'd asked, the question raking her. _"I just met you. I was awful to you. I never even knew you and now—"_

" _Mom."_ Raimy took her by the shoulders, her voice firm. _"You won't lose me. I'll see you soon."_

Every one of Sara's instincts had told her it was wrong, had screamed for her to stop it. But, she was quickly learning that there was no changing Raimy's mind once it was made up.

" _You're right. This isn't goodbye,"_ she'd sworn, hugging Raimy before they parted ways.

"Adam shrank down so he could go with her in secret," Ray said, finishing the story. As much as he'd denied being the future A.T.O.M., Adam's suit really was very much like Ray's. He and Ray had even built the first version together when he was a teenager. "We'll have Adam's location," Ray added, "so we just have to wait for his signal and then we can make a surprise attack."

Alexa scoffed. "Why wait? Let's go now!"

"She has to make it look like she doesn't mean to be caught," Sara said. "That could take a while."

"And they're going to do some reconnaissance while they're there," Ray said, grimacing. "I know, we told them it was a bad idea, but…"

"So we just sit back while Raimy risks her life?" Alexa balked.

Sara closed her eyes, trying to breathe. She only _had_ to risk it so Sara would be safe, so she could have time to make sure Raimy could be born in the first place.

And that involved Leonard.

She shivered, keeping her eyes resolutely away from the living room. How would she even face him, let alone _tell_ him?

"Don't worry," Quentin said. "Adam will signal us as soon as we're needed. We've got two Vibes. We can breach the whole team there in seconds."

"Am I at least allowed to worry about _you_?" Alexa snarked. "You guys missed it," she added, at their quizzical looks. "Little Quinny here has time powers now."

He groaned. "So does Dad," he said. "A side effect of the Oculus, apparently. We don't really understand yet."

Sara crossed her arms, exasperated and worried in equal measures. "What do you mean 'time powers' and 'so does Dad'?"

"We're both…" he trailed off, and Sara narrowed her eyes.

"Don't sugarcoat it, Q," she warned.

"We're…seeing things," he finished, hands raised placatingly. "That's it. Little flashes of alternate futures, right before they happen." He sighed. "I've also been having flashes of new…old…memories," his forehead furrowed, frustration obvious. "I remember growing up without any powers. But I'm starting to remember growing up _with_ them, too."

"Which means the timeline changed," Alexa said. "We think that since Dad was exposed to the time radiation at the Oculus, it gave him powers, and Quentin inherited them." She pouted. "He gets all the fun."

Quentin shot her a withering glance. "It's not fun. It's been making me sick every time. Plus, _you_ try hiding the fact that you're having the same creepy time visions as your father—who, by the way, I've never been able to lie to in my whole life."

"Wow!" Ray's eyes lit up. "Particles from the time stream must have fused with his DNA. What kind of visions are you having?"

Mick rolled his eyes. "He's not an experiment, Haircut."

"He's clearly fine, if he grew up with the powers," Ray said, defensively. "If he was going to die from them he wouldn't be here now!"

"Not comforting," Alexa hissed.

Quentin waved them off, nodding. "So far, I've just seen little things," he said, "like Cisco coming in the back door instead of the front. Blips in time, things that could go one way or the other. But—" He took a breath, his forehead crinkling. "I think I can do a lot more. I think I learn how to control the visions, manipulate them. Even manipulate time itself." He closed his eyes, shoulders sagging. "I just can't remember how."

"It was like that for Stein too," Ray said, "after he changed the timeline and his daughter was born. It all came back to him eventually, though."

"In the meantime," Quentin said, "Dad knows something's up. He's going to figure it out on his own, and soon."

"I'll say," Ralph snorted, making them all jump. "Snart is getting real suspicious, and you're not exactly subtle."

They all stared at him.

"Where'd you come from?" Mick grumbled.

Ralph shrugged. "It was getting boring in the cone of mystery over there," he jerked his thumb toward the living room. "So, I just stretched on over. What're we talking about?"

"Quentin's freaky new time powers and how long it'll take Dad to figure out that he _inherited_ them from him," Alexa said, sighing.

"He'll never believe it," Mick grumbled. "Snart never thought he'd have kids. Never wanted 'em."

Quentin and Alexa blinked at him, faces falling.

Alexa put her head in her hands. "Were we _all_ a mistake?"

"I'm sure they wanted you!" Ray said, comfortingly. "It's just, the timeline is totally different now. So, it's a little up in the air."

Alexa snapped her head up, her eyes wide. "Uh! Uncle Ray!"

"We don't really need honesty at a time like this," Quentin agreed.

"There's something else," Sara said, shifting uncomfortably. "Something you need to know."

"You've decided you're not having any of us." Alexa deadpanned.

"We're having you," Sara argued, then faltered. Would Leonard even want to? "I mean, I'm having you. Well…" She paused, steeling herself. "We have less than three hours for me and your dad—for me and Leonard to—" She waved her hand back and forth in the air, at a loss. "Or Raimy will be erased from the timeline. Permanently."

She twisted her arm, showing them the timer Gideon gave her, the seconds marching down.

Alexa quirked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" She made the same vague hand gesture.

"She _means_ ," Mick grunted, "she and Snart need to knock boots a'fore that timer runs out."

"…Or Raimy won't be born," Quentin finished, his eyes widening. "Shit. I _knew_ you were supposed to be pregnant already."

"Oooh," Ralph gushed, "this is _way_ more interesting than the living room conversation."

Alexa covered her mouth. "This is bad," she mumbled.

"You think?" Quentin shook his head, his fists clenching. "No wonder Raimy sacrificed herself. She had to buy you time."

"What am I gonna do?" Sara groaned. "I haven't even seen Leonard in three years."

"You've got _some_ time, at least," Quentin said, taking a breath. Then he brightened, mollified at the thought. "Enough time. You just need to get…reacquainted."

Sara's cheeks warmed at the insinuation. "You don't understand," she said. "It's just." She blew a piece of hair out of her eyes, stalling. "I mean. We never—"

"Had sex?" Ralph cut in, helpfully.

She flushed. "Well, we weren't—" she sputtered, at a loss. "I kissed him _once_. To say goodbye, right before the Oculus blew. Otherwise, we were just…friends."

For a moment, they all just stared at her, mouths hanging open in surprise. Then they started speaking at once.

"You weren't together?"

"You've never even hooked up?"

"Not even _once_?"

"No!" Sara cried, quieting them.

Mick shrugged. "No time like the present."

"I thought you guys were, ah, _knockin' boots_ pretty much the whole time on the Waverider," Ray said, grinning. "All the 'card games' and all."

Sara's nostrils flared, exasperated. "We really were _just_ playing cards."

Ray's brow furrowed, unconvinced. "Really?"

"Really," Sara insisted, narrowing her eyes.

"Well," Ralph hedged, "maybe your relationship just isn't that sexual."

"Pfft!"

Alexa, Quentin, Ray and Mick all burst out laughing.

"Oh, Uncle Ralph," Alexa smiled, wiping a tear from her eye, "you never change."

Sara put her hands on her hips, bristling. "Why is that so funny?"

Mick leered at her. "All the eye sex between you two coulda been the start to a good porno."

"Honestly, sometimes it made me uncomfortable," Ray agreed.

Alexa smirked. "Your sex life is not an issue."

"And how would you know?" Sara balked.

Quentin grinned. "Let's just say…maybe this time around, you could install automatic locks on your doors."

 _Locks? Oh…_ Sara's cheeks heated in understanding, and she slapped her hand to her forehead. "Oh my god, did we traumatize you?"

Ralph let out a bark of a laugh. "Awkward."

Mick chuckled. "That sounds about right."

"No," Quentin assured her, smiling. "We always knew our parents were in love."

"No pressure," Sara muttered. "How do I live up to that?"

Quentin shrugged, a small smile still playing at his lips. "Just let it come naturally."

Ralph snickered. "That's what she said."

"Getting love advice from my future son," Sara groaned. "This is not weird at all."

"Ooh, I know," Ralph snapped his fingers. "Let me go get my—"

"We don't have time for your big binder of romance, Ralph," Quentin sighed.

Ralph grinned. "You mean you've seen it?" He asked, tone pleasantly surprised.

"I've been subjected to it, yes," Quentin rolled his eyes. "We don't have time for the 37-step process."

"It's actually 48 steps."

"You've whittled it down by my time. Only the best steps left."

Ralph's eyes widened. "Wow," he whistled. "The book of love 2.0!"

"It's 5.0 now."

"So it evolves," he shrugged. "One thing never changes, Sara. You've gotta be honest. Be open. Tell him how you really feel. How much you've missed him."

Sara stared at him. "Yeah, no. That'll never work." She threw her hands up, then dropped her face in them. "Raimy's gonna be erased, all because of me."

Alexa peeled Sara's hands away from her face, taking them in her own.

"Raimy is going to be fine," she said, soothingly. "Just talk to Dad. _Talk_ to him."

"The good news is," Ray added, "no time has passed for Leonard. That goodbye kiss? Happened about an hour ago, for him. Just pick up where you left off."

The thought of it threw Sara into another spiral.

"We can't!" She moaned. "Even if sex wasn't the issue, I'm a different person now. He doesn't know me anymore. And he…he'll never believe he's supposed to be a dad."

"Well, maybe you…reunite…and then you break it to him in due time," Ralph suggested. "It's not like you guys would've known you'd get pregnant originally, right?"

"Seduce him?" Sara cried. " _Use_ him? No. I can't betray his trust. We can't do this if he doesn't want to." They were supposed to have a _life_ together, not a hookup. Or at least, that's what Gideon had shown her. She couldn't start that life with a lie.

"You just have to tell him," Quentin said, bracing his hand on her shoulder. "Go on."

Sara froze. "Right now?"

She looked around at the others, hoping someone would disagree. They all shrugged—she would have to tell him sooner than later anyway.

"Now," Quentin said. "Just come out and tell him the truth. We don't have time to waste. He'll need to process everything, too."

"Look how long it took you," Alexa agreed.

"Alright, I get it," she sighed. "Fine. I'll just rip the band aid." She squared her shoulders, steeling herself, prepared to face the living room again.

And then a strange look came across Quentin's face.

"Wait," he said, throwing an arm out to block her. His eyes tracked across the living room, but as far as they could see, there was nothing there—except for Leonard, who was staring blankly at the door.

"Don't tell him."

Quentin turned to her, his eyes drawn. He placed his hands on her shoulders, his voice lowering intently. "Whatever you do, do _not_ tell him who we are or what's at stake. Not yet, at least."

Sara gaped. "What?"

Quentin swallowed, his eyes darting to the side. "I had another…vision," he said, "of the future, if you tell Dad now. He doesn't take it well."

Sara's stomach dropped. "How not well?"

Quentin closed his eyes, his head hanging. "He storms out of here and you're in tears because the timer skips down to zero. Raimy is erased."

They all quieted, turning to Sara.

"There's nothing we can do," she said, stunned. "That's it. I can't save Raimy, she—"

"The timer is still working," Quentin rushed to reassure her. "That means there is still a chance. But not if you tell him right now."

Ralph snapped his fingers. "Before we can tell him he's gonna be a dad, we've got to make him believe he can be."

Mick raised his brow. "Pretty sure _we_ can't do much about it," he pointed out, not that they listened.

"Let's put the four of you on a mission," Ray said. "Give you a chance to be a family. Maybe if he got to know Quentin and Alexa better…."

"No way," Quentin said, shaking his head. "We don't have time for that, _and_ he doesn't trust me."

"I think he might be jealous of you?" Alexa pursed her lips, watching Leonard thoughtfully.

"Jealous?" Quentin balked.

"Look how he's glaring at you," she said, nodding at him. "Like you might be a threat. To him. And his relationship with mom _._ "

"Maybe you shouldn't stand so close to Sara," Ralph suggested.

Mick grunted. "Jealousy, we can use. Snart's always been motivated by what he can't have."

"Oh yeah!" Ray brightened. "Play it up, he'll get out of his shell to compete."

Quentin gaped. "Act like I'm interested in my _mother_?"

"Yes," Ray slapped him on the back. "Just so you can be born!"

"Uh oh," Alexa sang, "he's coming over here."

"Forget getting erased," Ralph said. "He's going to kill you."

Sara didn't have time powers, but she could've sworn the whole world tilted on its edge as Leonard approached, slowly, dreamlike—

"Lance. Can we talk?"

Their eyes met.

It was _not_ a dream. He was real.

And she was in _really_ deep shit.

* * *

"Go on!" Ralph said, giving her a little kick in the shin.

Sara winced, nodding even as she vowed to get payback later.

"Sara, wait," Quentin grabbed her arm, just as she moved to follow.

"What?" She frowned, glancing back at Leonard. He'd turned, watching them with sharp eyes. "We're not using you to make him jealous," she hissed, yanking her arm away.

"It's not that," Quentin said, his voice hushed. "Dad saw that vision too. I'm not sure how much he figured out from it, but he saw himself storm out. He saw you burst into tears. Don't tell him who we are, but…" he paused, meeting her eyes. "Don't lie to him either. He knows something's up and that it affects you. You can't pretend everything's fine."

"Be honest about your feelings," Alexa added, placing a soothing hand on her arm.

"Hope you get lucky!" Ralph said, giving her two thumbs up.

"Thanks," she mumbled, a lump of dread rising in her throat.

Leonard was still watching and waiting, an odd expression on his face. She steeled herself as she followed him through the living room and to a hallway at the back of the house. There, Leonard gestured to a doorway, holding it open for her to enter.

The room beyond was a bedroom, spacious and full of light from big picture windows. A king-sized bed took up most of the space, plain besides a silvery-blue bedspread. Across the room was a small brick fireplace, offset by a carved wooden mantle. It was a cozy room, though undecorated, with dark hard wood floors and warm wood molding around the windows. The view outside was of a small garden, birds chirping at a feeder.

"Wow," she whispered, unable to help herself. It was so…nice. A little domestic, maybe, but a far cry from the cramped quarters on the Waverider, the clock tower she'd shared with Sin back in Star City or the cell she'd kept when she was in the League. It actually felt like a home.

"Is this the master bedroom?" She asked, turning back to Leonard. He was still watching her with that odd expression, his hands hidden in the pockets of his jacket.

Oh, she'd missed that jacket, she realized with a pang.

"I suppose," he shrugged, glancing around the room. "Haven't spent much time here."

She'd missed that easy way he had of moving, that effortless grace.

His eyes found hers again. _Those eyes._ She'd missed them too, the way they stared into her like he could see right through her, into all her darkest parts. Into all her light.

"Sara."

She shivered. She'd missed his voice, that low drawl when he said her name, like he was tasting every letter. She'd missed the way the sound of it curled up in her chest, warming her from the inside.

Sara took a shallow breath, bracing as the want of it washed over her. It was him. It was always, always him.

What was she waiting for?

"What—?" Leonard's face fell as she closed the distance between them, throwing her arms around his neck.

She'd missed _him_.

She buried her face in his jacket, holding tight and breathing in the smell of him. It reminded her of long hours spent over card games, flirting and fighting and feeling each other out. Of whiskey and cowboy hats and _that's not you anymore_. She'd always felt like someone else, someone better, when she was with him.

Slowly, his body relaxed beneath her, and his arms wound their way around her waist. Sara felt her heart settle into place, a subtle clicking she never knew she'd been waiting for, ever since they'd said goodbye.

"Are you…okay?"

She felt more than heard his voice vibrating through his chest, and sighed, lifting her face. It wasn't until she looked up that she realized she'd left a warm, wet spot on his jacket.

"Yeah," she said, licking a salty drop from her lip. She looked down, her heart too loud in her ears to think.

"I never knew." She paused, taking a shaky breath. "How much you meant to me." She closed her eyes, centering herself. "Until you were gone."

Sara exhaled as Leonard lifted a hand from her waist, wiping his thumb across her cheek to halt the track of another tear.

"And then you were gone," she said, blinking her eyes open into his.

His forehead crinkled, watching her.

"I'm right here," he murmured.

She nodded, pressing her face back into his neck, her eyes closing. "You're here," she breathed.

Then the door swung open.

"Sara!" Iris called. "We really need your help. Caitlin is—oh."

Iris stopped short, eyebrows raised as she took in the sight of them, still wrapped around each other.

"Iris, wait!" Came a shout from the living room.

"Sure," Sara said, pulling back abruptly. She avoided Leonard's eyes, her face heating. It was all too much, so much more than she'd bargained for. She didn't _do_ feelings, and neither did he. What if she'd already messed this up, pushed too far?

She scratched at her wrist, desperate to check her timer—maybe it was already at zero. Maybe Raimy was already gone. But she couldn't bring herself to look, panic rising.

"What do you need me for?" Sara asked, surreptitiously wiping away another tear.

"Uh," Iris backtracked. "We can handle it—"

"Lance."

Leonard took a step toward the door, shutting it unceremoniously in Iris's face.

"Are you crazy?" Ralph's voice came from the other side. "You're messing with their mojo!"

"Why didn't you stop me?"

"You were moving like a torpedo!"

"You have superpowers!"

"Oh, right…"

Their voices faded as they moved away. Leonard stood for a moment, regarding her.

"What's going on?" He asked, frowning. "And don't say nothing. I'm sure the kid told you what we saw."

The sarcastic lilt to his voice sent forth a new wave of memories, and she closed her eyes, fighting back a shudder.

"It's—" She faltered. "Complicated."

"Ah."

He took a step toward her, a floorboard creaking beneath his weight.

"Whatever it is," he said, voice slipping into softness, "you can tell me. I won't leave. Not this time."

She looked down, watching as his boots stopped inches from her own.

"I would've left, too," she whispered. "It's…a lot."

The silence stretched between them for several agonizing moments, until she finally raised her eyes to his, waiting for him to answer.

"It was a lot to wake up, when I thought I was going to die," he said. "To find out you'd all lived on for years without me." He lifted his brow. "Is it more to deal with than that?"

Sara exhaled, folding down to sit on the bed.

"It's pretty on par," she admitted. "But once you find out, everything changes."

Something in Leonard's face resolved, and he stepped forward, dropping down to sit beside her.

"Everything already changed," he argued, leaning toward her.

"Including me," she murmured, a catch in her voice. "You don't even know me anymore."

He paused, a slight intake of breath just audible.

"We've done this before." He leveled his face with hers, sneaking into her space. "You spent two years in the fifties, remember? Then we picked up right where we left off. We can do it again."

She blinked against the echo of the memory his words conjured, the way his voice dropped octaves, so full of promise.

 _It's the things I didn't do that keep me up at night. I started to wonder what the future might hold for me. And you. And me and you…_

Sara swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. Leonard shifted ever so slightly closer, his eyes dropping to her mouth as she licked her lips.

"And where did we leave off, Leonard?"

He slid closer still, an answer to her challenge.

"Could remind you," he offered. His eyes darkened, watching her from under his lashes. "If you want?"

His hand stole across her cheek, her skin heating at his touch.

"I want," she breathed.

Her eyes drifted shut, releasing the doubt, the fear. There was no room for anything else between them.

"And I want you, Lance."

Sara inhaled at the whisper in her ear, the sound stifled as his mouth slanted over hers, stealing her breath away quite literally. She tensed for a moment, surprised, but then his lips parted, pliant and gentle, and she melted into him. His hand wove into her hair, and her fingers found their way to his chest, clutching at his shirt as he deepened the kiss.

 _God_ it was _so_ easy to kiss him. His mouth moved slowly over hers, soft and lingering and perfect. Just like she'd imagined he would be, oh so many, many times.

He was so much better than she'd dreamed.

She wasn't sure who moved first, then. One moment she was tugging him back, or he was pushing her down, or maybe they both moved at once, falling together onto the bed, kisses quickening with need.

"Tell me to stop and I will," Leonard said, drawing back with a gasp.

Sara's eyes fluttered open into his, their noses still touching, his mouth still hovering just over hers.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, a small voice insisted there was something else, something important, that she should slow down.

She didn't listen.

"Don't stop," she whispered, running her hand up his arm and over his shoulder, yanking him on top of her. She hummed, satisfied by the feeling of his weight on her, but wanting him even closer.

His response was immediate, reclaiming her lips before moving lower, trailing kisses down her jaw, then her neck, sucking at the soft spot above her collar bone, his mouth warm and wanting. His hand wandered down her side, then snuck up her shirt, lighting her on fire with every touch.

Sara couldn't help the small moan that escaped her lips, her breathing ragged. Leonard chuckled, pausing to glance up at her with a smirk, and _oh_ , how did he do these things to her?

Then a voice bellowed from the hall.

"Aunt Sara!"

There were other shouts too, of "wait!" and "don't!" But it didn't stop the footsteps from pounding closer, or the door from bursting open.

Sara and Leonard sat straight up, startled, to find the boy with ice powers—Marty?— standing in the doorway, his features twisted in fury.

"Fix it!" He demanded, holding up his arm. Except in that moment, his arm disappeared. Then it came back, transparent, before flickering away again.

Sara's heart fell into her stomach. _Right,_ she remembered, _the kids_. They were probably all in danger with the changing timeline, and Leonard still didn't know. Ugh, she'd gotten so swept up that she'd almost let things get too far. She had to tell him everything, soon, whatever the consequences.

Another voice called from the living room, too far for Sara to hear.

"Ralph," Marty growled, whipping his head around, "if you call me McFly one more time I will ice you into oblivion."

He turned back to Sara and Leonard, the anger in his eyes shifting to fear. "Please help," he said, "I messed up."

"Um," Sara bit her lip. "I'm trying, but—"

"You need to talk to my mom," Marty insisted. "She always listens to you."

Sara's forehead crinkled. "Your…mom?"

"Caitlin." He pinched the bridge of his nose, exasperated. "You're best friends."

Sara shrugged, helpless. "I hardly know her."

Marty waved his fading arm in the air. "You _will_ be best friends, then. Just please, talk to her. I told her who my dad is and now they're not speaking, and I might not be born."

Sara started, feeling the weight of the timer on her wrist. "How old are you, compared to Raimy?"

"She's only a week older than I am," he admitted, shoulders sagging.

"Uh oh," Sara said, sliding off the bed. She didn't know what she could do, but he looked so desperate, so young. Just like Raimy. If he thought she could help, she had to try.

"You think?" Marty snarked, waving her forward with the stump of his fading arm.

Sara paused at the door, turning back to Leonard. He was still sitting on the bed, his legs crossed…strategically, she noted. The sight of him made her smile, hope blossoming in her chest. "I'll be right back," she promised. "To finish our…conversation."

"Good." He smirked. "We were just getting started."


End file.
